Fear beyond the Limelight
by JapanFan Kyoko
Summary: Sequel to Chaos in the Limelight. The death of a friend was all it took for Falco to decide that he must carry on as leader of the Smashers. The battle against the evil Inukai begins, but is there an even bigger threat waiting for them? FalcoxOC
1. The Innocent and the Uproar

**Kyoko: I just HAD to put this up! I was going to wait until after Christmas but I decided to put it up now. It's an early Christmas present from me! My computer died so I had to use my old, slower compute, which explains why I haven't written for a long time.**

**Mario: This story starts from where the last one finished. Falco leads and his team to Earth to destroy Yoshiki Inukai and change the superior Smashers back to normal. However, there is an even bigger threat than Yoshiki watching their every move...**

**Kyoko: Yep, this is the sequel to Chaos in the Limelight, and it's not gonna be like most movie sequels in which they're boring compared to the first film. No, it's gonna be better!**

**Mario: JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters.**

* * *

Clouds congregated over Kyoto, an ominous shade of grey. For most of the day there had been light rain that lasted only a few minutes then resumed at hourly intervals much to everyone's displeasure. This, however, did not lead to any assumption that this would lead to a thunderstorm. Now, as darkness moved further south, the rain fell again, and this time it was harder. 

But to one man, the rain brought neither anger nor happiness. In an isolated wooden house on the outskirts Kyoto, Isamu lay on his back underneath a canopy, his eyes closed, his mind relaxed.

An empty bottle of sake slowly rolled off of the wooden flooring and onto the grass. The high-pitched sound of water hitting the bottle made Isamu lift his head in curiosity. He checked to see if his half-full glass of sake was still next to him.

The owner of the house, Riku, had gone out for the day and carelessly left several bottles of rice wine on the kitchen table. He had expected the group of SMASH! News team workers that arrived yesterday to behave themselves while he was gone.

Whilst heavily intoxicated, the consequences were not important to Isamu. He ran his fingers through his blonde hair. A flash of light tore through the sky followed by thunder.

"Isamu!"

A frightened voice called out to him in the darkness. A few seconds later a young woman in a yukata crouched next to him.

"Shika…" Isamu sighed as she pulled him to his feet. The ground seemed to shake; his vision was fading and twisting before him.

"Shika dragged him towards the living room where everyone else was sat. Another young woman with long blonde hair shook her head sadly as she saw him.

"You idiot…" she scowled through her teeth.

"Sorry, Yumi," replied Isamu, leaning towards her. The smell of alcohol on his breath was sickening. Yumi turned away.

"So…"

Everyone looked towards the door. A dark figure stood in the doorway. The candle in the middle of the room burned slowly, casting shadows across his face.

"I thought I could trust you,"

"Shimokawa-san…"

"Shut up! What was I thinking?! Why did I agree to let lot stay with me? Oh yeah, I remember…"

As the figure moved closer to the group, the candlelight danced on his face. Their attention was drawn to his long black katana sheath. He gripped it as moved towards Isamu.

"I was threatened…"

The thunder boomed, the lightning lit the room. The flash of light revealed the anger in his eyes, the black hair that covered them.

"By who?" Taro, a teenage boy of about sixteen bravely broke the silence. "Riku, Isamu didn't mean-"

"What? He knew the sake was mine… Anyway, 'who is it?' you ask? Yoshiki Inukai. He demanded that all of you needed to hide. Of course I was suspicious. I was horrified at the destruction of Revolution Smash. Apparently, one of the SMASH! News team members, Takeshi Deguchi was killed before the planet exploded. I was sure it was a rumour but as soon as I asked Yoshiki I saw myself at gunpoint… and now you're here…"

Riku stared at the workers. He had never seen them working at Inukai Mansion and assumed that they were new. When introduced to Shin and Shika, the twins, he was given the impression that they were children due to their behaviour, but it turned out that they were actually eighteen year olds.

"If I was given a choice I'd prefer to throw you out of my house and into the storm,"

"But why do we need to hide?" Yumi asked.

"It's something to do with the war between ordinary and superior Smashers. I admired Yoshiki's work until now; his way of creating more powerful beings the fans of Smash Bros. can relate to. The press have invaded Inukai Mansion demanding answers only to find the place deserted. Yoshiki told me that he found you just outside the mansion. He's probably afraid that someone will spread rumours about his work so he made you come here, away from all the attention.

Riku casually walked towards Taro and grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"I knew it,"

"W-what?"

"You've been taking my sake too? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Riku!" Momoko, a woman a few years older than Yumi stood up. Riku's strength, however, caused her to back away in terror.

"I've answered your questions, I've put a roof over your head… and you _do_ know that Inukai-san holds me in high regard, don't you? Despite his harsh regulations I do accept one of them: To kill anyone who does not follow them."

"Look, Shimokawa-san, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it. I was just feeling so… depressed. I feel as if I'm being forced into this job. I feel as if my memories childhood has gone…"

Taro's voice echoed through the room. He was sure he could hear the voices of children laughing beyond the deafening sound of rain.

"How sweet…" Riku smiled mockingly. "Fine, I'll just pretend nothing happened. But if this happens again, then expect a murderer in this house, OK?"

The team nodded obediently.

"Um, Riku, can I ask one more question?" Yumi said nervously.

"What happens to Smashers when you capture them?"

Riku hesitated for a moment, then replied, "They're changed into superior Smashers. Their lives are transferred to another body. There are still many ordinary Smashers out there and they want revenge. I mentioned Ai Hoshino, a member of SMASH! News to Yoshiki because I noticed she was missing a few days ago. He told me that they were holding her captive. When Yoshiki comes here in a week it will be our responsibility to kill the other Smashers and put their lives into other bodies. Do you think you can manage that without getting drunk?"

The group nodded again, avoiding his gaze. Riku sneered and left the room.

"Isamu, Taro," Hotaru briskly rose from her feet, pushing her red hair out of her face. "He shouldn't have treated you that way…"

"That's not important now," replied Isamu, breathing deeply to suppress his sickness.

Taro closed his eyes, his head pounding as his nausea intensified.

"Yoshiki sounds like an important ally. We'll have to co-operate if we want to survive…"

* * *

For a man so powerful, fear was mocked, ignore as if it never existed. But now a foreboding feeling of dread crept into the mind of Yoshiki Inukai and forced him into a state of panic…

* * *

**Well, that's it until the New Year! I'll be concentrating more on Bore da, Smashers! now so you'll still be able to catch up wth the Smasher's crazy tour of Wales! As for the Smashers, I know I didn't mention any. The only familiar characters mentioned were Yoshiki, Ai and Takeshi. In the next chapter I'll go straight back to the Great Fox! Oh yeah, and Merry Christmas!**

**Please review!**


	2. Alone in the Unkown Location

Kyoko: YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I'm back after such a long time! I've had this chapter on my new laptop -best Christmas present ever!!- for ages but I never got round to posting it. Plus, the internet wouldn't work! And now, here it is just as I promised: Fear Beyond the Limelight chapter 2!

Fox: Woo! And there's a new character!

Kyoko: Yeah, another new character! There's gonna be a few new characters added throughout the story, but I won't put in too many.

Fox: Yeah, well, as long as you update regularly and stop watching The Mighty Boosh all day...

Kyoko: Hey! Anyway, disclaimer please!

Fox: JapanFan Kyoko does not own any of the SSB characters but does own Ai Hoshino, Fumiko Kawai, Yoshiki Inukai and all he other made up characters in this story.

_

* * *

_

_After trying -and failing- to persuade Falco to carry on writing his account of our journey, I decided that I should carry on for him. It's so boring in the ship at the moment; hardly anyone speaks, and even when they do it seems to end in an argument. Writing this should keep me -and hopefully the rest of the Smashers- occupied, even though I can tell our journey will not be easy. Already I've experienced the pain of losing someone I love, and I can see that many of the other Smashers are feeling that too. Writing is the only thing at the moment that can stop me from going insane._

_Today, I talked to Mario and Luigi, trying to get to know more about the characters of my childhood. They didn't really want to talk at first, but as time went by we got on quite well. A few hours later we stopped at a planet to refuel the ship and get more supplies. News had travelled fast of the Smashers attempting to kill Yoshiki and the people there cheered for us. Some people even recognised me from when I appeared on TV, asking me why I was with them. I didn't want to cause any more trouble so I kept changing the subject. Eventually we carried on, and the thought of returning to Earth was reassuring. However, I was unsure of what I would find. Would Yoshiki be there? Would my friends be OK? If he has done anything… I don't want to imagine anyone else getting hurt. _

_Later that day -though you can't tell whether its night or day in space- I decided to get some sleep. It's uncomfortable inside the Great Fox. I curled up on the floor with some of the blankets like most of the other Smashers had done, but when I finally did get to sleep, the memory of the last battle haunted me…_

He lay dying… Koji lay dying next to her, and there was nothing she could do. His murderer walked closer, laughing maliciously. He later revealed that he loved her, insisting that she shouldn't be with Koji. The Great Fox was blasted away by the bomb… For a moment she was sure that Koji was now dead, only to be reunited with him a few hours later. However, this happiness was short-lived as Ai realised that Koji was in too much pain. In the end, she let him die… and has felt responsible for his death ever since…

…_And then I heard something strange. It was an unfamiliar voice. It was calm, reassuring. I could see someone in front of me but it was a blurred image. It was a woman's voice calling out to me. There was concern in her voice, a tone in which a mother would use with a frightened child. In fact, I was sure it was my own mum…_

"Okaasan…"

"Is she waking up?"

"I think so,"

"She's still dreaming,"

Ai pulled the blankets closer around her head, and called out even louder, "Kaasan!"

"Is she OK?"

"Ai? It's OK, Ai, it's only a bad dream…"

Ai felt a hand stroke her hair. It was that voice again, the voice that sounded like her mother. Ai opened her eyes, squinting against the bright lights of the ship. "Shikashi… anata wa…"

"Shh… Daijoubu desu yo."

Her eyes snapped open. Ai pushed herself up and gazed at the figure talking to her. It wasn't her mother after all… In fact, it was far from human.

"Ai-chan ne? Watashi wa Kurisutaru desu."

"Wha-? What's she saying, Marth? Roy? Someone translate!"

As her vision became clearer, Ai looked around at then Smashers crowded around her. The person who had been talking to her was unfamiliar. It turned out that she was a purple vixen.

"Oh…" Ai gasped, sinking back to the floor. "I'm sorry…"

"It's OK," the vixen replied, smiling.

"So, you're Krystal. You're Fox's girlfriend, isn't that right?" Ai felt uneasy as she said this, and Krystal lowered her head.

"Yes, I heard… I heard that he's dead, but nothing can be confirmed…"

"I'm sure he's still out there," said Ai, crawling out of her bed. "Oh, and I'm sorry I called you mother… I honestly had no-"

"Don't worry about it. I guess it must be a maternal instinct I have! After all, I do have my own child."

"Right!"

Captain Falcon strode into the room, oblivious to what had been going on. "Now you said you could beat me in an arm wrestle, Roy! Huh?"

Everyone looked at him. "What's going on?"

"Heh heh… Er… Well, you've missed quite a lot really," chuckled Roy. "Ai was just being introduced to Krystal but she called her mum! OK, that's not a lot, but hey…"

At this point, the racer returned to his seat by the window and sighed. Roy waited for him to mention the arm wrestle again, but he never did and so he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Attention, Smashers and humans! This is your captain, Falco, speaking! We will be arriving on Earth in only four hours. Unless another problem arises, I suggest you start discussing our plan."

The voice on the surround sound speakers died away. Ai reluctantly buried her head underneath the blankets again. The Smashers and Krystal shuffled forward so they formed a circle around Ai.

"So, who would like to start?" Luigi asked nervously.

The room was fell quiet. Eventually, Marth spoke up,

"Well, first we need to discuss what we're up against. We're not about to fight an easy foe…"

"But does he have any weakness?" asked Mario. "All enemies have their weaknesses, don't they?"

"Explain more about this Yoshiki," Krystal interjected. She looked around at the group, almost pleading for an answer. "Has he killed many people?"

"Yes, including his own parents apparently," sighed Marth. "In our last encounter with Yoshiki, his only weakness was the two kanji symbols for Inukai on the side of his head. However, I think he would have corrected his mistakes by now,"

"I think…"

"Yes, Ai?"

Krystal looked at her, smiling weakly. "What do you know about him?"

"A lot," Ai replied. It was too late to retreat back into the safety of her warm bed. "Um… Well, I worked for him. At first he seemed OK, but when Koji told me what he was planning… Anyway, SMASH! News, his company, works all over Japan so I don't know where he will be,"

Krystal nodded, taking in the information and pondering different tactics. At the same time, Roy had already come up with his own plan. He immediately turned to Ai.

"Ai, does Yoshiki have a goal which he wants to achieve by creating superior Smashers?"

"Yes, his goal is create as many as he can to… er… well, he said something about creating characters that people can relate to more, but that doesn't seem quite right…"

Roy was worried by her uncertain reply, but did not question it. It was Bowser who carried on the conversation,

"What I'm worried about is where the Smashers are now," he said. "I mean, Samus just vanished when Falco tried to get her off the ship!"

"I'm sure Yoshiki still has them, but unless we really know why he's doing this…" Ai's voice trailed away. She fell back onto her blanket, exhausted and not wanting to take part in the conversation any more.

"Either way, we must start by going to Japan and trying to find Yoshiki. Once this is done we can easily get the Smashers back, right?" said Krystal.

No one replied. The discussion seemed to have ended. Already Bowser had trudged to the opposite end of the ship and fallen into the blankets next to Fumiko Kawai who had been asleep for the last five hours. Krystal sighed sadly and watched as everyone moved away. Ai could feel that she was watching her as she tightly closed her eyes. She wouldn't let go of the situation until she knew more.

"Ai…"

Krystal nudged her gently. The girl yawned and opened her eyes slightly.

"I'm sorry about what happened to, um…"

"Koji," The way which she said his name surprised her. Ai's voice was cold, not wanting to mention his name ever again. "And I'm sorry about Fox."

"I know it doesn't feel like it now, but…" The purple vixen gazed out of the window in thought as she stood up. "But we'll be OK…"

* * *

A young girl of about sixteen sprinted frantically down the corridors leading to her office. There was no time to waste. It was her second day at work and the pressure to do things on time was almost unbearable. She was nearly ten minutes late arriving even though she lived close to the company but she noticed that the corridors were almost empty.

"That's strange…" she thought. "Where's Natsuko?"

She slowed her pace to look more closely at her surroundings. Usually the corridors were packed full of workers. The girl tried to ignore the silence of the curiously quiet hallways as she started running again. After a few minutes she arrived at her office and began brushing her hair back into two ponytails. It was still raining outside. If her boss saw her looking a mess…

She then picked up her briefcase and left her office, still suspicious of why no one was at work. As she carried on walking, she listened to the eerie echo of her footsteps. Her friend Natsuko promised that she would wait for her near her office and it seemed suspicious that she wasn't there to greet her. And the fact that Chihiro wasn't at work either worried her even more.

Finally, the teenager arrived at her boss's office and knocked on the door. No one replied. She tried again, and this time she heard the sound of something falling over and clanging noisily. She nervously opened the door about an inch wide and peered through.

"Um… Inukai-san?"

A man with untidy navy blue hair whipped his head round, his eyes shining with anger. The girl flinched as he moved forwards. "Sayuri, come in,"

The girl bowed and entered the office, a little concerned by the messiness of the room which she thought her boss would never allow. Her boss, Yoshiki, nodded towards a chair on the other side of his desk, and so she sat down, casting her eyes down at the floor.

"Inukai-san, I'm sorry I'm late…" she said.

"Ha…don't worry about it,"

As Yoshiki sat down opposite her, the girl picked up her briefcase and pulled out some sheets of paper.

"I-I've finished my paperwork and… I think there's something wrong with the computer data…"

Yoshiki rested his head on his hand. He caught her eye, and Sayuri blushed and looked back down at the papers.

"Er, well, there was an error yesterday in which the computer would not respond to any data. I checked the transferred Smash data and… there was nothing to transfer it to…"

As soon as she said that, she lowered her head again. It was a fatal mistake which she knew would cause trouble for Yoshiki.

"Inukai-san, I think the two superior Smashers escaped…"

"…I know. I told Natsuko to make sure nothing happened, but obviously she's too stupid to do such a simple task,"

Sayuri felt anger rise within her chest, but didn't dare to argue. "I'm sure it wasn't Natsuko's fault,"

"Then who else would it be?" Yoshiki replied, standing up. "Who would defy me?" He slowly walked around the desk and stood behind her. "Unless you did this…"

"No! I didn't!" Sayuri exclaimed, almost jumping out of her seat. "Inukai-san, I honestly didn't-"

"Because if you did…"

Yoshiki crouched down to her level; Sayuri couldn't look at him directly. "Well, you know what happens to people who defy me, don't you?" He placed a hand on her shoulder and leaned closer to her face. "They die, Sayuri. You don't want that to happen to you, do you?"

Frightened by his sinister tone, the girl turned her head away and shook her head. "No, Inukai-san…"

"Good, I knew I could trust you,"

Yoshiki stood up and returned to his desk. "And don't breathe a word of this conversation to anyone."

It took Sayuri a few moments to calm herself before she could speak again. "Inukai-san, do you know where the rest of the workers are?" she asked timidly.

To her surprise, he looked alarmed by this. Sayuri studied his face as if trying to work out what he was thinking.

"Well, I _did_ send some of the workers to different areas of Japan, but that was only ten of them. There should be no reason why there is no one at work…"

A flash of lightning lit up the room.

"What should I do?" Sayuri asked, turning her face away again.

"Carry on with your work. And if you _do_ see anyone, do not tell them of what I just told you. We don't want anyone getting hurt, do we?"

The girl shivered as he rose from his seat again.

"You may leave the office now,"

"Thank you, Inukai-san…"

Sayuri quickly rushed towards the door, desperate to get away from him, but then she was stopped again.

"Sayuri…" Yoshiki whispered. "Don't think that I won't know if you tell anyone. I'm always watching you…"

* * *

Inukai's back and more evil than ever! OH NOES! Sayuri's the new character, has only spent two days in some unknown location and is already being threatened... And where is everyone? You'll have to wait -hopefully not for long- and find out!

Please review!


	3. Beginning the Destruction

**Kyoko: I'M BACK!!!!! It's been so long... I've been trying to use the internet on my laptop but it won't work so now I have to use the slow family computer. Anyway I've written up most of chapter 4 as well so it should be up very soon, hopefully tomorrow! Oh yeah, and sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have been doing reviews and stuff too but I'm glad I can get back to writing again! Summary, please!**

**Mario: Where are the Smashers?! Who's Riku and Isamu and all those other people I don't know about? Riku, a new SMASH! News team worker grows tired of being ordered around by Riku and decides he needs to know what's going on outside the 'cage'. Plus, there could be a greater danger than Yoshiki lurking around Japan as two creatures escape from their own cages...**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own every Yoshiki Inukai, Ai Hoshino, Takeshi Deguchi, Koji Kondo, Fumiko Kawai and the other SMASH! News team workers.**

* * *

This place, a so-called refuge darkening in the fierce downpour, could never be called home. Isamu stared beyond the tarnished grey fence marking its boundaries, allowing his hair to become drenched in the rain as his mind tried to wander from the thoughts of captivity. His friend Momoko watched him from inside the house, frowning as she tried to work out what he was thinking.

"We can't stay here," said Isamu, walking towards the fence. "We're like animals in a zoo… Why are we here? Riku has no right to treat us this way,"

Momoko opened her mouth to announce something, but realised her words were bound to cause an argument. She reconsidered her reply for a few seconds then said, "Riku only wants to protect us,"

"There's no danger here," Isamu retorted irritably. "The danger's out there, not in Kyoto, but in Tokyo. We need to be with Yoshiki even if he does come across as an arrogant fame-hungry tycoon."

"Yoshiki probably has other people working with him who will deal with the situation," said Momoko, suddenly realising how pathetic her reply was. "Er… look, try not to think about it. Yoshiki will be back in a few weeks to take us back to Tokyo so there's no need to keep on about it."

Isamu's hands clenched into fists, the muscles in his arms tensed. For a moment he glared at the barrier, snarling at his enclosure like an angry beast. The vast neon billboards of the city caught his eye, beckoning him from within his cage. And this time it wasn't some last minute scheme invented by some drunkard. With one last look towards Momoko, he grasped the metal bars and hoisted himself towards the first horizontal bar onto which he could climb. Momoko stared in shock.

"Y-you can't do that!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands to her mouth.

"Shh! Riku will kill me if he finds out! Go and get the others, tell them to follow me. Riku's still drunk from last night so he won't know a thing!"

Immediately Momoko ran inside the house. A few minutes later she had gathered the rest of the group in the garden, most of them still floating in the semi-consciousness of a peaceful sleep.

"Come on! We can get out of here! Just climb up here and Riku won't know a thing until morning!" said Isamu, advancing to the next bar. Taro nervously watched Isamu climb higher, becoming conscious of his short stature.

"Don't be stupid, Isamu!" shouted Yumi. "We could all get in trouble!"

"Yumi, I can't let Yoshiki fight the Smashers on his own. I need you to come with me."

Shin and Shika had already begun climbing up the fence, giggling as they lost their footing and had to start again. Akira, a chubby member of the group sighed in defeat as he stopped his attempts to squeeze through the holes in the fence.

Eventually, most of the team decided that to escape worth a try and climbed up the bars towards Isamu. A blue-haired teen called Tsuyoshi offered to stay behind and help the stragglers by carrying them to the top, which would have been a difficult task if he didn't have incredible strength.

When Isamu finally touched the ground on the other side, he breathed deeply, relieving his mind of stress. It was strange that he should feel so relaxed in a bustling city than the calm garden he was sitting in a few minutes before.

It took a few minutes before everyone was on the other side, blinking at the dazzling modern lights of Kyoto; trying to adjust to the sudden change in light. They all looked at Isamu in bewilderment.

"Well, let's go," Isamu said simply. "Unless someone has amazing navigational skills please don't tell me how much of a fool I appear to be right now."

There were a few sarcastic murmurs among the workmates, casting a few uncertain glances in other directions.

"Er, yeah. Doesn't look like we're going to argue," Hotaru sighed, scowling at him. "And where exactly are we going again, 'Mr I-know-everything'?"

"Tokyo," Isamu replied. He took one last look at Riku's house before turning away. "We must get there before the Smashers do."

There was a sudden shout behind them, making them all jump. They all knew exactly who it was. Without another word, the SMASH! News team members dissolved into the shadows like ghosts and faded into the sea of shining lights.

_

* * *

A few hours earlier…_

The room was bathed in the glow of fluorescent lamps. It was damp, cold, but perfect in terms of its purpose. A creature opened its eyes, its hands pressed against glass. It stared around the dimly lit room, wondering how it had got there in the first place.

It could see several other creatures around it, some crouching, and some standing. Something stirred, letting out a yawn.

"Newcomer?" A deep voice echoed through the room.

"…Me?"

He wanted to break free. He desperately searched around him for some way to escape, throwing his body against the glass, clawing at the barrier. The strange metallic clang of his own claws hitting glass seemed unfamiliar to him.

"Yes, you, the one with all the armour and that gold helmet. What's your name?"

The creature frowned at the tall figure speaking to him. "My name? I don't…oh, Masaru,"

"Heh heh, you didn't seem too sure! You're still recovering from the injection so don't worry,"

"Injection?!"

"Yeah, yeah, our boss, Yoshiki, gave us this injection to make us all stronger or something like that. Even I can't remember! All I know is that we have an important job to do,"

"What's that?"

The taller creature laughed, "You ask too many questions! OK, we're gonna be fighting these wannabe superior Smashers who have no skill or fighting style. They're coming to attack our boss and it's up to us to kill them apparently."

"But…why?" Masaru asked.

"Stop asking questions! Sheesh, what's wrong with you?! Listen, I don't have time to talk, I've gotta get out of here and don't you dare ask me why!"

"But can you at least tell me your name?"

"I…I'm Dairantou."

For a moment they stood in silence, listening to the slow breathing of everyone else sleeping. Masaru examined his claws, how sharp they were, how pressing them into his armour would cause no dents.

"….I'm planning to escape, Masaru." Dairantou replied slowly. "I'm not going to be ordered about. Yoshiki wants us to kill, but I want to do things my way. The whole of Japan could become superior Smashers like us… and why stop there?! What about the whole world?! The whole world… one giant brawl, a fight for survival, no longer a game that kids play on consoles!"

Masaru anxiously joined in with Dairantou's manic laughter.

"Masaru, join me! It'll be great! Who cares what Yoshiki says? I mean, look at that guy over there!"

He pointed to the back of the room where a blonde-haired boy in a striped T-shirt lay sleeping.

"Yeah, Yoshiki brought him in today. That's Lucas. Found wandering around the Smash Mansion with some other guys like Olimar."

Masaru looked around at the other creatures in the room in interest. When he looked at them more closely he realised that they weren't asleep at all; they were unconscious.

"Are they…?"

"Yes, Masaru, soon they will be superior like us. It only takes a few hours for the victim to forget who they were before, to have a desire to kill…"

"…T-this isn't me… I was someone else before, but who am I? The injection, these thoughts… I can't allow myself to-"

"Calm down, Masaru!" exclaimed Dairantou. "Come with me and I will give you your freedom."

Freedom… Masaru tried to remember it, but nothing surfaced in his mind.

"So…are you coming?" asked Dairantou, outstretching a silver claw.

For a moment Masaru stared at the claw and then his own. He was right, he was made to kill and he couldn't deny it. Masaru pressed his hand against the glass and nodded.

"Good. Stand back and I'll get you out,"

Dairantou took a few steps backwards. He stretched out his arms, his eyes focused on his hands. A bright flash of orange tore through the room, waking the superior Smashers. Masaru tightly closed his eyes as he saw a glimpse of a small silver ball shoot towards him. Within seconds it was done. Masaru opened one eye and laughed nervously at the anti-climax. Shards of glass fell soundlessly at his feet.

"Amazing…" he breathed.

"You'll have skills just like me once the injection has taken effect, now come on!" Dairantou jumped into the air and latched himself onto the ceiling like a bat. He pulled his arm back and then thrust it forwards; again he made no sound as the concrete fell to the ground. Quickly he beckoned Masaru towards him and grabbed his hand, pulling him up onto the roof. Immediately they both felt the unimaginable force of the wind blowing in their direction, the rain hammering down like a barrage tiny needles.

"This, Masaru," Dairantou inhaled deeply, walking dangerously close to the edge of the building. "This will be my country."

"You're quite ambitious," sighed Masaru, shivering in the cold.

Dairantou didn't really take much notice of him. "First I'll search for the Smashers, kill them, and then I'll focus more on my plan. But of course I'll need your help."

"And what's in it for me?" He felt bold as he said this despite feeling undermined by Dairantou's intimidating manner. The creature narrowed its eyes at the question.

"Power," he said simply. "It's what everybody wants, isn't it? To be able to rule the world the way they want it. I'll let you have some of that power. All you have to do is come with me. Fight the Smashers with me."

The stinging of the rain in Masaru's face was gradually being replaced by a numbness spreading like a virus throughout the rest of his body. Dairantou could sense that this was happening as he watched Masaru's expression contort into one of fear.

"…Fine," Masaru breathed finally.

"Good."

Again, he outstretched his claw and grabbed Masaru by the wrist. Mist hung over the city like shining droplets of rain suspended in midair as the sun began to appear from behind the clouds. Dairantou's attention however was focused on the sky. He bent his knees, pulling Masaru down with him.

"We're not going to jump off the building…" whispered Masaru, his heart pounding in his chest. The superior Smasher calmly reassured himself that they wouldn't. Barely a second had passed since the thought had occurred, and then they both shot upwards like rockets at terrifying speed. Dairantou had a firm grip on Masaru, who felt a sudden rush of adrenalin as the city disappeared from view and a feeling that at least some element of trust should be formed between them…

* * *

_We arrived at a planet to refuel. It wasn__'__t that big; much smaller than the moon although much brighter and more colourful. __At least I__'__m sure that__'__s what it looked like before it was destroyed. As we landed, the place was deserted apart from a few survivors. I could tell that this was the work of Yoshiki as I stepped out of the Great Fox and looked around the planet._

A few people called out to them as the Smashers stepped out of the ship, pleading for help, running up to them and exclaiming undecipherable accounts of what happened. Grey rubble, stalls and fuel tanks slowly burned, an explosion from somewhere in the distance shaking the ground.

Krystal cautiously made her way over to a pile of twisted metal and pulled away at it. There was someone there, but he lay motionless, blood flowing from his head and chest.

"T-this is terrible…" she breathed, sadly walking away.

Falco impatiently tried to get some information from the locals about what happened but everyone was talking at once. Marth and Roy went off together to search for any survivors, Metaknight and Snake were busy examining the rubble for anything useful and Ai and Fumiko stayed close to the ship doing nothing in particular as Slippy and Peppy began refuelling the Great Fox's engine.

"I wonder what he's doing now…" Ai wondered aloud, tightly clenching her fists.

"You mean-"

"Yeah. I wonder is he's laughing at me. I wonder if he's killed more innocent people. I can't wait, Fumiko. I can't wait until I wipe that smile right off his face."

Her friend seemed alarmed by her tone. "Don't keep thinking about it, you'll make yourself feel ill,"

"Not think about it?! Are you crazy?! This is what it's all about!" Ai yelled, banging her fists against the Great Fox.

"Please, Ai, this is what Yoshiki wants you to do." said Fumiko, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"…You're right,"

Ai sighed, forcing herself to smile. After a few minutes Falco ordered that everyone had to go back onto the ship and apologised to the residents of the devastation of their homes. There was nothing he could do, but they seemed content in knowing that they were off to defeat Yoshiki and waved to them as they boarded the ship.

Peppy seemed very concerned as he walked onto the Great Fox. Slippy noticed this.

"What's up?" he asked.

"It's…er… I've gotta tell Falco!"

"Who's telling' me what?"

Falco turned his head just as he was about to start the engine. Pit curiously peered around the corner and listened.

"I've just received a message from a friend in Tokyo… The city, it's…gone,"

The bird's eyes narrowed as he restrained his sudden surge of fear. "Meaning?"

The hare shuffled anxiously, aware of Falco's eyes on his face as if he were straining to see his thoughts. He closed his eyes. "Tokyo's gone. It doesn't exist. Everyone has gone. No one lives there anymore." The words gushed from his mouth in a panicky rush. Peppy opened his eyes, looking down at the floor. Falco stood back, aghast.

"You mean… it's destroyed?" he said, steadying himself. "It could be no one else but…"

The sentence trailed off, lost in the quiet murmur of the engine.

"I know. It's clear that Yoshiki isn't there, he must be somewhere else with the Smashers, possibly somewhere else in Japan."

There was an unexpected thump behind them and a flash of white as a figure fell to the floor. Falco raised an eyebrow as Pit grinned sheepishly and picked himself up. "Er… don't mind me! I heard nothing!"

"Sure," sighed Falco, turning and pulling a lever. "Get back in the main room,"

Without a word the angel flew swiftly out of the room, Falco dreading the news that he would reveal as soon as the Smashers saw him. But the reaction he feared of the most was Ai's. She had lived in Tokyo for a while and worked there, and just when her life couldn't get any worse, her own home is destroyed.

"Let's go," Falco snapped, startling Peppy. "Let's just hope that the rest of Japan hasn't gone by the time we arrive…"

* * *

**And so now you know Dairantou and Masaru are superior Smashers... But which ones are they? What will happen to the new members of the SMASH! News team? In the next chapter a few new Brawl newcomers get a shock when they arrive at the Smash Mansion!**

**Please review!**


	4. Another Brawl

**Kyoko: Next chappie! A nice long chapter for Valentine's Day! - Thank you for your reviews Muse Lord Mai-Chan and Ralf Jones (I've included more Ganondorf btw XD)! **

**Pit: The rest of the newcomers -but not all of them- have arrived at the mansion expecting to find Master Hand, but they find someone else who's planning his own brawl...**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all of the members of the SMASH! News team.**

* * *

They stepped out onto the gravel, confused. Exchanging glances as they stepped forward they listened for the booming voice of Master Hand. But it never came. The mansion was deserted. Windows were open with their blinds clattering noisily and from where they were standing they could see the front door left open slightly.

"This _is_ it, isn't it?"

"Well, duh…"

A large, rotund, duck-like creature plodded towards the front door, a mallet in his hand. "Let's go in,"

"Yeah, right! This place looks… creepy…"

"You scared, hedgehog?"

The duck-like creature impatiently tapped its foot. A tall grey wolf casually sauntered past it and through the door before anyone could say anything else. The rest of the team quickly followed him inside. The Smash Mansion, grand and luxurious as it was described in their invitations suddenly seemed a little dull, its chandeliers gathering dust, a few small spiders scuttling around the golden walls.

"It's this way," the wolf announced.

"Oh yeah? Why's that then, huh? Are you leader or something? Who are you?" the duck retorted, glaring at him.

"I'm Wolf," the wolf replied, a hint of anger in his voice. "And you?"

"Well, yeah I can see you're a wolf, stupid! And I'm King Dedede so show me a little respect!"

"No, my name is actually Wolf. You're speaking to Wolf O' Donnel, commander of Star Wolf, so I highly advise you to change your tone…"

Noticing the seriousness in his voice King Dedede backed away, still scowling. The four other newcomers silently walked past the bad-tempered bird after Wolf, who had lead them to the main hall. The blue hedgehog gazed in awe at the lavishness of the furniture, the marble pillars by the staircases to the Smasher's rooms and the dazzling colours of the paintings that adorned the walls. The uncertainty of his acceptance in the mansion faded away as he took in the surroundings.

"He's been here…" Wolf murmured, walking to the dining table. He brushed his hand over the surface, watching the dust rise from the table and cast shadows in the sunlight. He laughed to himself, his voice low. "Fox has been here. Finally I can face him again…"

The echo of tiny footsteps disturbed the Wolf from his thoughts. Spinning round he realised that Toon Link -this was his nickname in the team- was running around the hall and skidding along the white tiles. The other two newcomers, a boy with a red cap, and a strange blue creature with red eyes stood back and admired what was to be their new home for the next few months.

Just then, amidst the clutter on the table there was something which caught Wolf's sharp eyes. A newspaper was crushed underneath bottles of beer and crisp packets -_"That's weird, I'm sure Master Hand wouldn't allow them to eat and drink like this!" _- but what was interesting about was the word SMASHERS on the front of it. He picked it up and read the title spread in bold letters across the front page: ENTREPENEUR INUKAI DISAPPEARS WITH SMASHERS.

"No way…" he breathed. Wolf read through the article, about boss of SMASH! News Yoshiki Inukai and several of his team members disappearing. In a column were the names of the missing Smashers: literally everyone who was a Smasher, including his rival, Fox. Toon Link sensed his uneasiness and jumped onto the table with an annoying grin. As Wolf read on he began to understand the reason behind the mansion's untidiness; journalists and paparazzi had broken into the mansion to interrogate the Smashers about Yoshiki and the whereabouts about the few missing Smashers except when they got there no one was inside. Upon realising that no one was here they decided to make themselves at home…

"Hey, you guys! Take a look at this!"

The newcomers gathered around Wolf and stared in disbelief at what he showed them.

"Look, it says Master Hand is missing too!"

"Wha-? Y-you're right, Sonic. I was beginning to get suspicious but I didn't think he'd disappeared or something!" Wolf looked where Sonic was pointing. Next to a black and white picture of Master Hand was a detailed account of theories of what happened the day he disappeared, which the journalist wrote was unknown. The blue creature, Lucario raised his head as he heard something drop; the clang of metal upon marble. He became tense, his eyes vigilant and his hearing sharp as he caught the sound of distant breathing.

"What is it?" the boy, a Pokémon Trainer asked.

Even the overexcited Link fell quiet as they felt the tension of an intimidating stare from somewhere in the room. Wolf sniffed the air, catching something which was far from familiar.

"Show yourself!" he boomed, his dark eyes narrowing.

"Shut up, you idiot! If there's a burglar or something-"

Suddenly, a loud gunshot pierced the air, smashing a window. The shards dropped with high-pitched clinks, then it grew quiet again and the hall became shrouded by an evil aura. The newcomers retreated under the table and backed into the table legs in case a bullet came through the cloth hiding them.

"Now look what you've done!" growled King Dedede. "I told ya!"

"Just shut up, will ya? I'll think of something, I've been in loads of situations like this even though I usually never…"

Link shuffled backwards, uneasy as Wolf's words became lost in the silence. The other newcomers were also amazed at how Wolf wanted to be dominant over the rest of them and shuffled backwards with him.

"Well, if you wanna go out there and meet him then be our guest!" said Sonic. "We're staying here!"

The wolf was about to argue but found that he couldn't, suddenly aware of his position in Star Wolf and his independence in this situation.

"Fine, stay here." Wolf crawled to the other side of the table and laid his head on the floor. He caught the scent again and a flash of blue and black fly past the marble pillars. Cautiously taking out his gun he placed his hands on the floor and slowly disappeared from underneath the table as the scent grew stronger.

A broken window blind rattled against the jagged remains of the pane of glass as the wind blew into the mansion. The enormous chandelier above Wolf's head jingled like a wind-chime, making him more conscious of distractions that could cost him his life. He could King Dedede chuckling behind him and scowled at his ignorance.

And then there were footsteps… They were close. Wolf lifted his head. The sound came from the opposite side of the table. He held his breath and moved into a crouching position. Moving round, he heard the steady breathing that Lucario had detected. As he moved around the corner Wolf lifted his gun and waited. Only his nose was visible from the other side of the table. Slowly, he rose, and the enemy came into view.

"I knew you'd come…"

The wolf barely had time to fire before another gunshot tore past his head, ricocheting off a marble pillar with a clang. They heard the startled cries of the newcomers. Wolf leapt backwards, gun raised and the enemy in sight. He hid behind a pillar, watching the curious newcomers flee from the under the table and prepare to attack.

"Don't stand around there!" Wolf commanded.

"Where is he?" exclaimed Dedede as he dived back under the table.

Wolf watched Link clamber onto the chandelier with his hookshot and Lucario had retreated to the top with him. Sonic had jumped into an ornamental vase and the Pokemon Trainer hid behind the pillar opposite from Wolf. Footsteps echoed off the white floor tiles, fading and returning in other areas of the room before any of them could calculate where he was. A human's shadow darted past the walls and rested on the stairs in between the pillars. Gesturing to the Trainer to stay where he was, Wolf swiftly ran to the centre of the room.

"Hey! Don't-"

"Shh!"

Wolf silenced him, holding up his hand and lowering his ears. It was behind him. His right shoulder felt cold, numbness spreading through his back. Within an instant his arm snapped backward and instinct forced him to shoot. He whipped round to face a man in a black suit and blue hair, his glare as cold as his hands.

"Who are you?!" yelled Wolf. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Lucario quietly float the ground.

"You don't need to know my name," the man replied coolly, moving towards him. "I've been waiting for the rest of you to come. I've already dealt with the other newcomers…"

"The other newcomers?! No, wait, you didn't…"

"Yeah, I killed 'em. Well, let's just say they're unconscious for now, eh?"

"Hold it!"

Lucario sprinted behind the opponent, his hands ablaze with a shining blue flame. The young man raised an eyebrow, his finger tapping impatiently on the trigger of his gun.

"And…what are you gonna do about it? You're lucky I haven't killed you yet! I'm planning to get rid of a few of the weaker ones, and as for the rest…"

A cruel twisted on his face as Wolf fiercely thrust his own gun against the man's head, and he laughed to himself at the thought of this creature triumphing in his defeat. Gradually the three other Smashers crept out of their hiding places. Toon Link clumsily slipped and lost his footing one of the golden braches of the chandelier and fell between them with as much stealth as a burglar in daylight.

"Ah, another one joins the fray," the man said, laughing. "He looks a little immature but I'm sure he'll be alright once I change a few things about him."

"What have you done with them?" Wolf asked calmly, edging closer.

"That's another thing you don't need to know for now," The wind swept the man's navy hair to one side, revealing his eyes, deep and incomprehensible. Behind him Lucario eagerly threw back his arms, the blue flames dancing in a magnificent sapphire arc then plunged them into the man's back. Wolf leapt backwards, smiling with relief at what he thought was a paralyzed foe. To his horror, he was still alive and able to move. Less than a second later he heard the gunshot again, quick and powerful. As the blue smoke from the attack cleared there was a dull thump as Lucario's body fell to the floor.

"Another one for _my_ brawl…" he murmured, mostly to himself.

"Your brawl?" snorted Wolf. "You've taken Master Hand too…"

"You catch on quickly, but you know too much. I've heard of you. Just the kind of fighter I need. But while you may be strong as you are I could make you stronger…"

"Yeah right," But even as he said it Wolf couldn't help but feel a little interested. "You gain strength from experience, kid. Unless you train me I doubt you can change that,"

"So you're willing to surrender?"

"Surrender?! What game are you playing? I'll settle this now, if you like,"

"Go ahead, then," the young man replied. Wolf took a step back, never taking his eyes off of him. Before either of them could blink the wolf fired mercilessly, laser bullets bouncing back and forth and rebounding on the floor. Ignoring this, Wolf fired again, his rage intensifying, the bullets were fired faster until between them there was blur of red.

"It's not gonna work!" yelled Sonic, jumping out of the vase he was in.

_What's wrong with this guy?! Why…why won't he die?!_ The bullets faded away along with his hope. An eerie silence followed the echo of the last bullet. Defeated, Wolf stepped back, hanging his head. He wasn't quick enough to witness Sonic or Link fall. Then, even though he was several metres behind him, the man spun round and caught the Pokemon Trainer who had attempted to sidle towards the exit.

"And now it's your turn," the man smiled, pointing his gun in Wolf's direction.

"I don't think so, kid!"

Wolf swiftly dropped to the floor, narrowly dodging the bullet. He glanced towards the table but Dedede's shadow had disappeared. "Hey! Dedede!"

Wolf sprinted out of the hall and into the corridors. He could hear the heavy plodding of his team mate beyond his own quick footsteps and his heart pounding against his chest. As he turned the corner the corridors became brighter; the exit was just ahead. King Dedede suddenly disappeared from view, the last thing he saw was the top of his red bobble hat. The sound of footsteps behind Wolf intensified. The hollow clunks of his boots on the carpet were drowned out by the solid banging of shoes slamming into the ground. He didn't look back. Wolf lunged through the exit and ran straight towards his ship, the Wolfen, which was parked on the grass. Again he thought he saw the flicker of Dedede's red and blue robes.

Finally, Wolf jumped onto the ship and slammed the door.

Silence. No gunshot, no murderer and no Dedede. It should have been a good thing to have no Dedede, but the ship was unusually quiet without him. It was too quiet. He had offered to take the team of newcomers to the mansion in the Wolfen -he was in one of his good moods- and the _noise_ they made… now the ship was silent…

"BOO!"

"WHAT THE-?!"

A large shape flew across the room and skidded to halt next to Wolf. He swore angrily. "Dedede! You idiot! I thought you were… I thought it was him…"

"Ha ha! I scared you! You big scaredy-wolf!" Dedede pranced around the ship chanting in a childish voice.

"I can't believe you actually think you're a king!" Wolf laughed, getting to his feet.

"Huh? But I am! Now, er, I order you to fly me back to Dream Land right now!" The bird stamped his feet, flustered. Wolf sighed and went into the control room, ignoring Dedede's order. Dedede ran after him, wielding his mallet.

"Are you even listening to me?!" he yelled threateningly. Wolf coolly turned round and sat in his chair, resting his head in his hand.

"No. You don't control me. You are on _my_ ship, so you'd better start following _my_ orders. Oh, and… what is that?" Wolf nodded at the mallet. Confused, Dedede lifted it a little higher and faced him in a defensive stance.

"Haven't you ever heard of a gun?"

"I, yeah, but…"

They stood in silence for a moment. Wolf watched Dedede laugh nervously. He was so small, a little bigger than his rival, Kirby, but Wolf appeared as a giant compared to him.

"Fine, you win." Dedede grumbled. "So, what happens now? I mean, Master Hand isn't here so we could just forget this ever happened…"

Wolf impatiently turned round in his chair and shook his head. "We've been invited by Master Hand to train to become Smashers, we can't turn down such an offer! Oh yeah, and isn't your rival, Kirby, a Smasher?"

Dedede's eyes brightened up. "Ah!"

"Ah ha! I knew I'd get things my way!"

The Wolfen growled and shuddered into life. King Dedede, defeated, slumped into a chair next to Wolf who now had a smug grin on his face. Upon noticing that Dedede was next to him, he coughed.

"What?" he groaned.

"Go in the other room," Wolf answered, his voice missing the harsh tone he used before. "You can start planning."

"Planning what?" The bird jumped out of the chair and watched the Smash Mansion disappear as the Wolfen rose higher into the sky.

"We're going to find the Smashers and Master Hand," said Wolf. "I'll try and get in contact with Fox first, but I need you to start planning destinations and stuff."

"But why can't I stay here?"

"I gave you an order! You'll only distract me if you stay here!"

Sighing, Dedede reluctantly shuffled out of the room and muttered a sarcastic "Yes, sir…". Wolf was right, with so much to sort out he would just get in the way. Even with the engine rumbling noisily he could hear him stomping around and muttering to himself in the other room. He couldn't imagine himself working with him, especially when it came to fighting. If Dedede abandoned him in a fight like he did last time… And who was that man? He knew about the Smashers and even said he was planning to kill a few of them. As he guided the Wolfen through space Wolf couldn't help but wonder about what he had said about becoming stronger and even something about another brawl…

* * *

_I've been lying awake all night/day. I don't want to go home. Earlier Pit told us that Tokyo had been destroyed. I didn't believe it at first but Peppy later confirmed it to be true. We'll be arriving there in a few hours and I dread what I'll find. I can't believe he's done it again… and this time it affects those who have nothing to do with it…_

Mario and Luigi were glued to the windows. They stared out into space in hope of finding something positive to talk about amongst the gloomy conversations about the destruction of Tokyo. Captain Falcon was restless; he hadn't stayed still this long before and ran around the ship for exercise. Metaknight hid his masked face with his cape as he tried to catch up on sleep. Underneath him Snake was in his cardboard box which kept shuffling about so it was impossible to tell what he was doing. Fumiko had gone back to sleep again, curled up in a blanket on the floor and still unaware of the news.

Roy was anxious about Ai. She was propped against the wall and clutched her blanket which she had pulled around her as tightly as she could, her eyes sore from the lack of sleep. Every now and then he would nudge her and ask if she was alright but she would only give the slightest nod and carry on staring again. Marth noticed Roy's constant worry and went over to him.

"Roy, you look ill," he said as he sat down.

"It's Ai…" Roy sighed, still looking at her. "She won't eat anything, she won't even go to sleep. The news must have been a huge shock for her…"

At that point Ganondorf casually stepped over Ai's feet with a packet of crisps. Marth and Roy watched him make his way towards the window. The Gerudo king could feel their stares on his back.

"No!" he shouted, making Ai jump.

"W-what, Ganondorf?" exclaimed Marth. "We didn't say anything!"

"You can't have any," Ganondorf replied, stuffing crisps into his mouth. "Last packet in the box."

"N-no, we didn't want any! Have you noticed how ill Ai is?"

Ganondorf sighed and walked back over to Ai and stepped over her feet again. Folding his arms he crouched down and studied her pale face. Ai averted her gaze as Ganondorf's yellow eyes watched her own.

"Hmm…"

Marth and Roy looked at each other nervously. Ganondorf poked her in the shoulder and clapped his hands loudly but still Ai would not respond.

"Nope, nothing I can do!" he said finally, standing up.

"But what about your powers?" asked Roy.

The king laughed. "The Triforce of Power? Hah! I have more important things to do with my power!"

"You have no idea…"

The three men whipped their heads round to look at Ai. She was looking directly at Ganondorf. "Do you know what it feels like to have your own home destroyed? Do you know how it feels to have someone so important to you taken away from you?"

Ganondorf inattentively shook the last of the crumbs out of his packet into his hand and crammed them into his mouth. "Well, Zelda and Link were taken away from me, so, yeah..."

"No, I'm not talking about power, I mean something you can't live without."

For a moment Ganondorf considered replying, but then he just walked off without another word. Metaknight curiously poked his head out from under his cape to see what was going on as he balanced himself on Snake's box.

"Don't worry about him," said Roy, smiling.

"Can I be left alone, please?" Ai asked him gently. She weakly pulled the covers over her head and buried herself in the comforting darkness. The two swordsmen silently wandered away in opposite directions; Metaknight pulled his cape back over his head again as the box temporarily stopped moving. At last the ship was quiet again. The Smashers lingered around edges of the ship like spirits, always oblivious of time and floating in and out of conversations. But, as always there was always something to shatter the short moment of tranquility.

"Everybody get up! Come on! Come on!" Slippy bounced through the door, his voice piercing the air like a knife. "You can see Earth now!"

"Earth?!" repeated Bowser and he trudged over to the nearest window.

He was right. Earth, half of it submerged in the shadow of the moon and half in light, grew bigger as the Great Fox speeded through space and entered its atmosphere. The change in air pressure surprised most of the crew as they plunged nearer to the ground, the blue sea shimmering below them in the golden glow of the sun.

Ai stood up and looked outside, suddenly feeling very ill. She leaned against the wall.

"Ai…?" Roy was genuinely more worried about Ai's health than the deterioration of Tokyo. He held out his hand which she held onto and she stood up.

"Don't worry," she said. "I'll be fine."

"What the…?! No, we didn't see any… Of course, he's here right now, do you want to… No, hold on, you don't mean that something has escaped, do you?! Hello? Hey!"

The Smashers looked round and peered into the other room. The ship turned to one side as Peppy stopped shouting into his intercom.

"What's going on?" Ganondorf demanded as he rushed into the room.

Krystal pressed her face against the glass. Something was growing bigger as it raced towards them, its silver metal body shining. "A Smasher…" she breathed.

"Whoah! I wonder which one it is!" said Pit, more intrigued than worried.

"That isn't the point!" yelled Falco over the noise of the Smashers. "Sheesh, all I could hear back there were a bunch of preschoolers!"

"I was told that it would be too dangerous to land in Tokyo," said Peppy. "Superior Smashers dominate the area, well, there is one fierce competitor out of the two already living there…"

Suddenly, the ship violently lurched backwards, throwing everyone to the floor. The engine roared as it recovered from the blow, but the controls failed to function properly. Immediately the Smashers were pushed aside as the Star Fox members crowded around the control panel.

"It's on the roof!" Pit exclaimed, pointing at the dent on the ceiling. They heard Slippy mumble fretfully about repair costs.

"If only we knew which Smasher it was…" Falco wondered aloud.

Just then, another loud crash jolted the ship into an uncontrollable cycle of spins. The Smashers were thrown clothes in a washing machine, the walls merging and forming a whirling grey abyss. Another creature had landed on the wing of the ship.

…_And then we plummeted towards the sea. I could see it shining through the window though I was never still enough to see it properly. I, too, began to wonder who those Smashers were. I was scared… for the Smashers still 'alive' and the Smashers who knew nothing of their former lives__, about their friends. I don't care what happens to me right now. As long as we're together, I'll be fine. Krystal's right, we'll be fine…_

* * *

**Any guesses to who they might be? I won't be revealing anything for a long time! From now on I'll be switching between Falco's team, Wolf's small team, the superior Smashers occasionally and the SMASH! News team workers. I'll post the next chapter as soon as I can!**

**Please review!**


	5. Captured after the Break

**Kyoko: Hi, I'm back! Thanks for the reviews so far. We'll be going back to Sayuri this time! **

**Luigi: Yeah, and Yoshiki comes back! Aaaaah! Oh yeah and, er, and Falco forgets to tell Krystal, Slippy and Peppy something important... Ooh it gets pretty scary in this chapter!**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all the members of the SMASH! News team.**

* * *

Sayuri stared out of the window, her mind lost somewhere beyond the persistent drizzle and the colourful buildings of the city. It was her last break for the day, and as she sipped her hot coffee she listened carefully for the voices of Natsuko and Chihiro, who's giggling was impossible to ignore. She hadn't known them for long but already they welcomed her into team as if they had known each other for years. They shared their office, and whilst they carried out the monotonous task of typing up documents they always joked around. Natsuko in particular was always getting herself into trouble. In yesterday's morning break Sayuri was left in hysterics when she began tampering with the coffee machine. She smiled as she remembered the unsuspecting salaryman become drenched in the fountain of coffee as he waited for the machine to fill his cup. Their suppressed fits of laughter faded as the rain began to fall harder, drowning out her thoughts.

Before long it was time for her to return home. Sayuri switched off her laptop and put it into her black briefcase along with the documents she printed off. She took one last look around the empty room, wishing that her friends were there, then walked out of the room. Again, as she stepped out into the hallway it was unnerving, almost as if something was wrong. She hoped that the same thing wouldn't happen tomorrow.

The sun began to appear from behind the clouds and the refreshing shades of the blue sky and the sea improved her mood a little; even her gait increased from a sluggish walk to an enthusiastic skip. The second day may not have been as exciting as her first, but at least she was in a job she enjoyed… well, apart from her boss things weren't too bad.

But then, as she turned around the corner her happiness was destroyed. She felt her body drain of optimism and become replaced by a sickening feeling in her stomach as she took a few steps forward. Something lay at the far end, motionless. It was frighteningly familiar. Sayuri cautiously crept over to it, the echo of her footsteps breaking the silence once more. Her mind was forcing her to go back, not only because she was scared but for the likely probability of it being something or someone she knew.

And she was right. A young girl about the same age as her lay on the ground, deep wounds etched into her back and stomach, her long black hair drenched in the pool of blood surrounding her. It looked as though she was flinching; she was almost hugging her knees like a frightened child. Sayuri gasped, sadness and anger stabbing her throat like a knife.

"Natsuko…"

Sayuri crouched down and held her hand. As she expected, there was no pulse and her hands were cold. Her face, although no longer expressing emotion, had a look of fear in it, especially in her half-open eyes. Silently, Sayuri stood back out of the puddle of blood and sat next to her. The first tears of her sorrow rolled down her cheeks. Her throat burned the more she tried to stifle her sobs.

"Natsuko…" she whispered again. Natsuko's mouth lay open, but this time she had nothing to say. She would no longer make her laugh with her jokes or cheer her up with advice, she could no longer smile. Such emptiness was disturbing.

The silence was broken by someone else's footsteps. There was no mistaking who it was. Sayuri didn't look up even when he stood a few inches away from her so she looked down at his feet.

"Sayuri," he said quietly. His voice held no trace of sympathy for either of them.

Sayuri didn't reply. The tears fell onto the floor.

"Sayuri," he replied, a little louder.

She almost choked as she tried to answer him. Instead, she weakly stood up and gave an impolite shallow bow to her boss.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this, but I had no choice," he said. "Like I said, people die when they defy me."

"You…"

Sayuri's rage was fuelled by his coldness. She lunged forward, her hands curled into fists and thrashed at his face. Yoshiki stood calmly as he received the blows, laughing quietly .

"Nice try, Sayuri," he replied, suddenly grabbing her tightly by the wrists. "But that won't work. This was for your own good. She was a bad influence, she was clumsy… that's why I killed her. I can't let people like you be with people like her."

"Natsuko was my friend," Sayuri growled maliciously. "She didn't hurt anyone. She was never a bad influence. Why… why would you…?"

She broke down into a fit of sobs and fell at his feet as he released her. "I'm leaving…"

"No you're not!" Yoshiki snapped. "I imagine you will tell the police…"

"I can't let you get away with this," whispered Sayuri. "You can't stop me from leaving."

Feeling disappointed in the vulnerability she was showing, Sayuri stood up again, this time smiling weakly. Yoshiki smiled evilly and stepped towards her.

"Yes I can," he replied. As he said this he unsheathed his katana from the sheath in his belt. As he drew it Sayuri noticed blood on the tip. With his other hand he swiftly grabbed her wrist again and twisted it until it turned with a sickening crack. Sayuri screamed in pain.

"You're staying here," he said ruthlessly. "Unless you want to die too, you'd better keep your mouth shut."

"But I-"

Yoshiki twisted her wrist again. Sayuri fell onto her knees and stared at the end of the katana which was pointing at her face. "Y-yes…"

Upon confirming her defeat Yoshiki let her go. Sayuri pressed her hands to the floor and bowed her head.

"I expect to see some more respect from you," he said with a frown. "Too much messing around with Natsuko and Chihiro."

Sayuri opened her mouth to speak then decided not to. Slowly she stood up and bowed politely.

"You'll be staying here from now on," Yoshiki placed an arm on her shoulder. "I'll give you a room and bring your things over here but I can't let you speak to anyone but me."

"What?!" exclaimed Sayuri. "I'm not going to be a hostage! That's insane!"

But already Yoshiki was walking away and ignoring her. He glanced back at Sayuri and raised an eyebrow. "Come on,"

Terrified, Sayuri obeyed and followed him. She looked back at Natsuko once more then focused on the corridor ahead. The sky began to turn grey as if reflecting her mood as the sun went behind the clouds again.

A few minutes later they arrived at the highest floor of the building. They entered an empty office with white paint peeling off the walls and an old wooden tiled floor.

"You'll be staying here," Yoshiki said, walking through the door. "I'll bring everything here as soon as I can,"

Sayuri was too shocked to speak. She went over to the window and stared out of it, still trying to understand what was going on. Then, without another word Yoshiki left her in the small room; the door clicked as it was locked.

Seagulls swooped past the window, cheerfully calling out as they gathered in the sky, ready to return to the sea as the evening drew near. The neon lights of the city flickered brighter and the sound of people below her grew louder. That was where she was supposed to be. Not here.

_He wants me to be like this… _Sayuri thought to herself. _I can't show I'm scared…_

Silently she turned away and backed into the wall. And it was still the second day. Things were going by quickly, far too quickly.

* * *

It felt like forever since their feet had touched solid ground. Whether the Great Fox was heading for space or sea was unknown and undoubtedly the last thing on their minds. It was impossible to call out, impossible to reach out as the team were viciously thrown into the walls of the ship. Temporarily the ship was released from its series of barrel rolls and they fell painfully fell back to the floor. 

"A-amazing!" stuttered Peppy. "Falco, we should all learn to do barrel rolls like that!"

"Shut…up…" sighed Falco, glaring at him as he grabbed onto his chair. It was always inevitable in the end for the hare to comment on this. He could see it coming. "Right now I _really_ don't care!"

"Is everyone alright?" Krystal called from the cockpit. The Smashers and humans either gave a thumbs up or said "Yeah,".

The Great Fox was suspended in mid-air. It rocked from side to side as if perched on top of a cliff edge. Fumiko tiredly pulled her blanket over her head. It had cushioned some of the blow but it had shocked her after her peaceful sleep.

"Now's our chance!" said Metaknight, flying into the cockpit excitedly. "We can capture them!"

"Wha-? No! No, it would be too dangerous. They're both as strong as a superior Master Hand… There's no way we could get them into the ship. They're invincible as far as I know." Falco nervously jumped out of his seat and walked into the passenger area. He moved to the centre of the room to inspect the damage of the roof. A hollow clanging resounded outside followed by a low snarl. "Slippy, can I trust you to take over without killing us all?"

"No problem!" the toad replied.

Diddy Kong, despite keeping quiet for most of the journey, eagerly ran into the cockpit and pressed his face against a window. He looked down expecting to see the sea, but yelled in surprise as a creature's head peered around the corner. "Yaah! It's gonna come inside!"

"What the-?" The bird dashed back into the control room to find one of the superior Smashers latched onto the front of the ship, gazing intently with evil eyes at the Smashers sitting on the floor. "Oh no, OK, everybody stay where you are," Falco said quietly as he shuffled back to his chair. "Slippy, I've changed my mind. I want to be in control of this."

"What? No! You don't think I'm responsible, do you?" Slippy retorted, pulling his arm away as Falco tried to pull him out of the seat.

"Slippy, get out!" Falco demanded. "I don't have time for this!"

"Fox would let me stay!" Slippy whined.

Falco angrily loosened his grip. How disappointing it was for a pilot of his standard to act like a child.

"I don't care what Fox would say! Fox isn't here! _I'm_ saying 'get out of my seat'!" he shouted, dragging him out of the chair and sitting down in it.

"That creature could be Fox," Peppy wondered aloud.

"No, it won't be," Falco replied. His tone softened a little. "I may not have explained clearly that whilst the Smashers may still be alive, it's certain that…"

Suddenly he was aware of Krystal's gaze, her worried expression. All of the Smashers fell quiet as they waited for Falco to continue. They knew what he was going to say.

"Well, while the rest of the Smashers were turned into superior Smashers… Fox was blasted away by a bomb that destroyed Revolution Smash, Yoshiki's planet. He's dead."

The whole ship fell silent. Pit inappropriately pulled out a bag of crisps as if immersed in a TV drama and Ganondorf kicked him in the leg. Ai looked up at Krystal as her jaw lay open in shock, a startled gasp escaping her throat. She saw her hands clench into fists as she fought back her tears, her face growing hot and anger building within her.

"You never told me this," she murmured. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

Falco guiltily stared at the floor. "I… I was going to, but I was just… I never got round to it and-"

"So… yeah, OK, this is important, but doesn't the death of one of our friends, our _commander _seem pretty important too?!" Ai bit her lip as Krystal raised her voice.

"Look, he may still be out there, he may-"

"Don't give me that!" she snapped. "Why? Why didn't you?!"

"Krystal, please…"

The clattering on the roof resumed. Then there was a loud bang as the other smaller superior Smasher jumped onto the wing of the Great Fox.

"Oh, great," sighed Falco. "Look, Krystal, Slippy, Peppy, I need you to distract the superior Smashers."

"I'm not leaving," Krystal answered furiously. "Since when did you take responsibility as commander?"

"Since a few days ago! Now get in the Arwings!"

Obediently Peppy and Slippy leaped over the blankets and out of the room without arguing. Krystal remained where she was.

"No,"

"Krystal, I gave an order…"

Impatience was getting the better of Falco. To his alarm his hand instinctively grabbed his blaster but he didn't draw it. "I'm sorry. Please get in an Arwing."

The vixen glared at him, breathing deeply. After a few seconds she slowly turned her back on him and walked out of the ship. Chatter erupted amongst the group as soon as she had left. Diddy gasped in awe at the smaller white and blue ships zoom out of the Great Fox and tear through the thin layer of cloud defining the atmosphere boundary. Ai broke away from Pit's conversation before he could even ask her of her thoughts and wandered into the cockpit, desperate to clear her head.

Warily she stepped into the room. The blue feathers on Falco's head were visible over the top of his chair. Before she could say anything she jumped in shock as the larger, more dominant superior Smasher ripped its claws from the metal exterior of the ship and rocketed into the air, followed shortly by a smaller tremor as the other superior Smasher leapt from the wing of the ship. Hastily Falco started the ships engine as it plunged towards Earth. As he steadied it to a more controllable speed, Ai spoke up,

"I'm sorry about that," she said.

The bird quickly glanced over his shoulder and smiled briefly. "Ai, you don't need to apologise. This is my fault, and I'm going to put things right,"

"No, none of this is your fault," Ai replied. "Krystal was just a bit shocked, that's all."

She ambled over to the seat next to him and sat down.

"I think she's right, ya know," Falco sighed. "I can give orders but when it comes to organisation I'm not a leader at all. What was I thinking?"

"You've kept us alive so far," said Ai jokingly. "And I know Fox would want you to lead us too."

She felt slightly uncomfortable after she said this. For a moment they sat in silence as they flew towards the deserted city of Tokyo.

"I'm sure Koji will be proud of you," Falco replied, smiling. "We'll find him again."

"I know," Ai told herself confidently. "We'll find the Smashers. We'll find them all."

* * *

**Mwa ha ha, Yoshiki is so evil! Well, I hope you think he is. The team will arrive in a deserted, destroyed Tokyo in the next chapter and Marth notices something strange about Roy...**

**Please review!**


	6. Becoming a Pilot

**Kyoko: Hi! Chapter 6 is up! First, I would like to answer Ralph Jones' question which he sent to me. He asked is there was something going on between Falco and Ai, and my answer is... yes! In the last chapter of Chaos in the Limelight when Ai confides in Falco I began wondering if they could be more than just friends. At first it seemed impossible but now it seems to fit with the storyline! But will this actually happen? Ai still thinks about Koji, so will it still remain as a friendship?**

**Marth: You'll have to find out later! Anyway, summary time! Ai gets distracted from her mission, Dedede distracts Wolf with a strange object and everyone is shocked when something falls from the sky!**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all the members of the SMASH! News team.**

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* * *

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_A few minutes later we arrived in Tokyo, well, the remains of Tokyo. I waited until the all of the Smashers had disembarked the ship before I stepped outside but Roy offered to stay behind with me and Falco rather than go with his friend Marth. He's been acting strange lately, always disappearing and saying very little. Maybe he's just ill._

_I reassured them both that I would be fine, they have already done so much, and the mission's not about me. The three of us stepped out together, and I forced myself to walk in front of them and stare at the sky, hoping that I would see the skyscrapers above me. Surprisingly they were there, but severely damaged, burning and no longer recognisable. The streets were deserted and hostile, broken glass was shining in the glare of the flames. Neon signs lay lifeless on the floor, their lights fading and electric wires firing sparks on the ground, even the green train bridge had collapsed in a heap of twisted steel. This was once Akihabara._

_Immediately I felt weak again. He couldn't do this, Yoshiki couldn't do this. My eyes began to sting as I caught sight of a man lying amongst the wreckage._

_The Smashers stayed together chatting. Falco had joined them but Roy still lingered in between me and the crowd. I began to wonder if we would be split up again into our different groups. After all, Falco seemed to be struggling to cope with all of us… Not that he's not capable of that of course! A few minutes later, as if he read my mind, Falco ordered us into teams. However, Falco's looked a little small; most of his members had been turned into superior Smashers so a few rearrangements were made._

_The next step? Well, even though I didn't want to, we had to explore Tokyo, possibly stay somewhere for the night if there was anywhere suitable. And then there are the Smashers. They couldn't possibly be at Yoshiki's mansion, especially if the press are after him…_

They boarded the Great Fox again. It seemed a better idea to search the ground from the air since most of the roads were now treacherous. Again, whilst the Smashers stayed in the passenger area, Ai stayed in the cockpit with Falco. She wanted to feel what it would be like to be in control and to get the best view of the city. Plus, it was quieter and sitting with Falco was less stressful than being squashed in between several noisy Smashers. Occasionally Roy came in and sat down in between them, his face redder than his hair.

"Roy, is there a reason for you wandering in apart from friendly conversations?" asked Falco, starting to get annoyed.

"Ah, no. No, sorry, I'm just ill, that's all. Yeah, don't mind me." the swordsman replied hastily as he ran out again. Ai watched him nervously.

"Ill?" she said, settling back down in her chair and turning to Falco. "I wonder if he's alright. He's been a bit jumpy lately…"

Falco craned his head as he scanned the ground looking for a building that was still intact. "Oh, right," he replied, not really listening.

Ai smiled as he tried to concentrate on the controls and look down at the ground at the same time. It was the first time since the adventure began that she actually had something to smile about, even if it was pointless.

"Let me try," said Ai, standing up.

"Wha-? You? Drive?" Falco exclaimed. The Great Fox rolled sideways, throwing her against the wall as Falco's concentration became exhausted. "Oh, sorry! Oh yeah and… no."

"Oh go on!" Ai pleaded, her smile becoming wider. "Teach me!"

Something strange came over her. She skipped happily over to Falco's chair and rested an elbow on it.

"Ai, sit down," Falco sighed, playfully pushing her away. But Ai still stayed where she was. As Falco sat back down he jumped in surprise when he realised that Ai was in his seat.

"Ai!" he squawked. "Get out!"

"Only if you teach me!" Ai replied, tapping the edges of the chair. "I've been in such a bad mood lately, I just want to do something fun for a change…"

It was rare for Falco to succumb to an innocent face, but this was situation was a little different. It was the first time in ages since he saw her laugh, perhaps the only time since he met her. It was dangerous to consider her to be a trainee pilot, especially since she hadn't driven a ship before or a car for that matter. On the other hand it would be a good experience if it went well, and to see Ai in a happier mood made him reconsider.

"…Fine," he said after a few minutes of pondering. "Just be careful, OK? I don't want you killing everyone!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Ai replied. "Now how do we move forward?"

Falco nodded towards a long lever and imitated a pushing movement. Ai grabbed the lever and pushed it forward in the same way, causing the ship to accelerate faster. Amazingly, from that moment Ai seemed to grasp the basics easily. To Falco's relief there were no problems in flying over Tokyo, at least until Ai became curious about more advanced techniques.

"Well, I think that's all you need to know for now," Falco said finally. "I think I should take over."

"But what about a barrel roll?" asked Ai. "I used to play StarFox games, you know! I bet it's easy enough!" She obviously knew too much from the games and it was too late to change the subject now.

"That's not a good idea… Just let me take over before-"

Before he could finish his sentence the Great Fox suddenly swerved to the left and rolled over; a spectacular barrel roll. Unfortunately everyone was thrown all over the place, including Ai and Falco.

"Wow, did I just do that?" Ai crawled back to her chair, laughing so hard she could barely stand. Falco hastily took over with the controls and the ship became level again. Marth burst through the door.

"What's going on?" he yelled, unsteadily grabbing onto the wall.

Falco said nothing but pointed an accusing finger at Ai who was still laughing uncontrollably. "Don't ask."

"What's wrong with her? Is she… is she laughing?" The blue-haired swordsman watched Ai as she steadily got to her feet and her laughing died down. "What have you two been doing?"

"Oh, well, I thought I'd do something fun to take my mind off things," Ai replied, smiling. "So Falco decided to help me become a pilot!"

"I never said a thing!" Falco countered. "You sat in my seat!"

"Well, it's nice to see you're OK," Marth replied, taking a seat next to Ai.

He looked down out of the window at the vast area of burning buildings and trains. Ai also looked outside and she instantly reverted back to her sombre mood.

"Aw, not you too," Falco said mockingly when he noticed Marth had made himself at home in the cockpit. "I'm not looking after both of you!"

"Oh, sorry," said the swordsman. "I'd better see if Roy's OK. I have no idea what's wrong with him."

"There!" Falco stood up and pointed at a building on the outskirts of northern Tokyo. "Looks like an old hotel. We'll stay there for a while."

Marth stood up and left the room. As he went through the door they could hear the disgruntled complaints about Falco's driving, to which he replied, "It was Ai, you morons!"

Feeling guilty, Ai fell quiet. It was only as the ship began to descend towards the ground that Falco noticed her change in character again. "It wasn't that bad, ya know," he said.

"Ha, I got too carried away," Ai sighed, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Maybe some other time?"

Falco laughed, almost losing concentration again. "Yeah, sure. One day you'll be donning the StarFox uniform and chasing StarWolf!"

"Yeah, it would be nice!" said Ai, joining in with the sarcasm.

A few minutes later the ship landed with a thump onto the ground. This time they all left together, and Ai was particularly determined not to become distracted. After all, this was serious. People had died because of Yoshiki, she had seen one victim among the wreckage; how many more would she see before his reign ended?

* * *

It had been a while since Wolf had last seen Dedede. It wasn't that he was concerned, it was just suspicious. He couldn't possibly be following orders… He could hear him murmuring something to himself.

"Hey! Dedede! Get in here!" Wolf demanded, irritated.

The bird waddled into the cockpit, his eyes glued to something in his hand. "Yeah, yeah, I'm here. What's all the shouting about?"

Wolf glanced briefly at the object in Dedede's hands, wondering why it was so interesting. "Give that here," he said.

Obediently King Dedede handed over the tiny black object, a look of intrigue still present on his face. It was about an inch in width and height and had small white letters printed in English on one side and Japanese on the other.

"So this is what you've been mumbling about," Wolf sighed, shaking his head. "And here I am thinking you've got this amazing plan and you're saying it out loud to yourself…"

"Don't doubt my intelligence!" said Dedede angrily. "Read it!"

Wolf glared at him, feeling insulted by his ridicule and annoying self-confidence. He did, however, read the writing on both sides. His immediate reaction was shock. Turning to face Dedede again, his face was written with disbelief.

"Where did you get this?" he asked guardedly. "This is about the Smashers! Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!"

"Heh heh, you never asked!" chuckled Dedede.

"Well, yeah, that's because you never told me, you idiot!" Wolf growled. "Anyway, it says something about the Smashers and… wait! _Superior_ Smashers! Tell me where you got this!"

"Under the table in the Smash Mansion," replied the bird. "Looks like a memory card, doesn't it?"

Wolf carefully placed it in his other hand and held it close to his face to examine it. Meanwhile Dedede jumped onto the seat next to him and took over with the controls. "Honestly, I'm surprised we haven't crashed yet…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

"Yeah, right. Come and look at this. If you look closely it says Yoshiki Inukai. Isn't he that guy who's missing?"

Dedede quickly glanced over his shoulder and nodded . "Oh yeah," To tell the truth he wasn't really that bothered. "Look, I'm trying to drive here so stop distrac-"

Suddenly realising what he was doing, Wolf dived onto the controls and guarded them protectively. Dedede casually hopped off of his chair. Wolf threw the black object back to him, but he missed and it fell to the floor, smashing into two pieces.

"…Oh well." he said, throwing the pieces away.

"What?! No! Give them here!" Wolf yelled, diving off his chair again. "They were important!"

"For what?"

"Didn't you notice _anything_ when you were looking at it?" Wolf asked angrily. Dedede shook his head, his face blank. Wolf desperately tried to remind himself why he had allowed him on the ship. Annoyed, Wolf picked up the broken pieces and pressed them together. "Look, it says Master Hand,"

"Oh! That guy who invited us to the Smash Mansion!" exclaimed Dedede, his face lighting up. "Wow, it says something on this one as well!"

Just when Wolf thought the conversation couldn't get any crazier, Dedede pulled out another black object out of his robes. The wolf, close to defeat from Dedede's insanity, hit his head on the back of his chair in fury.

"Get out," he growled. "And give that to me,"

"Yeah, sure," the bird responded with a smile. "Oh, and by the way, I think we're about to crash into Earth…"

Despite its damaged appearance from the outside, the inside of the old hotel was in good condition compared to the surrounding buildings. There were a few broken walls and there was no electricity; an elevator lay in the centre of the main hall as if it had been chucked there. Some of the Smashers offered to carry blankets into the hotel to make their stay more comfortable. Wario, -who only appeared when he was hungry on the Great Fox- was glad about this; the amount of times he kept tripping over them when he wanted to raid the food boxes was driving him mad.

The Ai, Fumiko and the Smashers went to the first floor of the hotel. It must have been five stars; the rooms were spacious and equipped with large TV's, bathrooms and furniture. Excitedly the three teams split up and made themselves at home until it was decided there should be one room per team, and so they began to quieten down for their first night on the ground since they left the Smash Mansion. Eventually, the three rooms became quiet as midnight came.

Fumiko had left her team to find her own room, saying that it was too crowded and she couldn't stand Pit.

"I'm not annoying!" said Pit sleepily. "I'm just not tired!"

"Same with me," Ai replied as she pulled her blanket closer around her. "…Hey, Roy, are you feeling better?"

"Oh, a little," said Roy, his voice quiet.

Snake lay underneath his box and Metaknight sat on the top, already fast asleep. For Falco, his night in the hotel much more comfortable since he had taken the double-bed before anyone else could jump on it, saying, "I deserve the better bed after putting up with you lot!". Everyone else had to sleep on the floor.

"Well, I guess I should try and get some sleep," yawned Marth. "We should be prepared for tomorrow."

And so eventually, Marth fell asleep. Soon after that Ai was defeated by fatigue, and reminded herself that would be the only thing that defeated her.

The hours passed, and before long the sunlight shone through the windows but it didn't succeed in waking them. After all, it was only five o' clock. On the other hand, Mr Game and Watch was already wide awake and looking out of the window at the depressing scene of Tokyo against the backdrop of grey clouds. Something was moving in the sky and coming towards them.

He ran up to Ganondorf, the leader of his team and rang his bell, startling him.

"What?! Oh, it's just you. Go back to sleep, oh, and get me some more chocolate from the box will ya? I'm starving!"

Mr Game and Watch rang his bell again and pointed at the window.

"Oh, right," said Ganondorf, crawling out of his bed. He too saw something flying towards them. "Go and alert everyone else!" he ordered.

The 2D character quickly rushed out of the room and into the room of Mario's team. Yoshi was already stuffing his face with junk food. Mr Game and Watch ran over to Mario and rang his bell again.

"Mamma mia!" he exclaimed. "Ah, Mr Game and Watch! What is it?"

Mr Game and Watch jumped up and down and ran out the door. He then ran into the room of Falco's team and rang his bell for the fourth time, waking up everyone instantly. He repeated his actions then ran out the room again, the ping of his footsteps fading downstairs.

"That was weird." said Pit.

"I think he wants us to follow him." sighed Metaknight. "Come on!"

A few minutes later, everyone -including Fumiko who had been forgotten- gathered outside where Mr Game and Watch stood pointing at the sky. The object was a lot closer now.

"What is it?" asked Wario.

"I think I know…" said Snake, backing away. "Everyone, get back!"

"But what-"

Before anyone could move, the giant silver object slammed into the ground, smashing several buildings and shaking the ground. Slowly it rose up into the air again, it's fingers glowing red. A few Smashers stood back in shock when they realised who it was.

"That's… that's Master Hand," gasped Metaknight "The superior Master Hand!"

* * *

**Master Hand is back! Yay! I still haven't explained why Roy is feeling ill, but don't worry, everything is revealed in the next chapter. And PLEASE tell me what you think about the idea of a FalcoxAi couple! I want to know what you think and if it's a good idea.**

**Please review!**


	7. Manipulating the Mind

**Kyoko: I promised myself I would post this today, mainly because... SSBB CAME OUT TODAY! Well, in America it did. I DON'T WANT TO WAIT ANYMORE! Ahem. OK, summary please!**

**Pit: Master Hand returns! Yay! Finally Roy reveals the dark secret which has been haunting him and Falco is disturbed by a familiar foe...**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but does own all members of the SMASH! News team.**

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At once the teams automatically assembled themselves. Metaknight and Pit followed the hand as it rose higher and higher, threatening to plummet back to earth. All they could do was watch it ascend, its metal body shining in the weak morning sunlight. There was, however, something strange about its armour.

"Look at that!" exclaimed Captain Falcon. He pointed at the long cracks on the hand's armour. "I thought you said nothing could damage it!"

Frantically the racer sprinted forward and leaped into the air as the hand crashed back down, shaking the ground. Now was the perfect chance to attack. Just as C. Falcon punched the loose armour, several other Smashers broke away from their teams and clambered onto the hand and began attacking. Yoshi's hunger was getting the better of him; rather than using his more useful attacks he was trying to eat the waving fingers. Eventually Marth and Roy ran forward, swords by their sides, entering the fray. Fumiko ducked underneath a broken bench to hide. As for Falco, he observed the skills of the fighters, watching how much damage they gave and received.

"Do you think…?" Ai stood mesmerised at the scene. The hand rolled over, narrowly missing Diddy Kong who used his rocketbarrel boost to escape just in time. She took out the gun that Falco had given to her a few weeks ago. "Do you think I should go?"

"What? Oh… well, I… I don't think a gun is going to be much use," Falco replied.

"And what about you? Why aren't you with them?" Ai asked him nervously.

The bird nodded at Fumiko. "Making sure _she_ doesn't wander off and get hurt. Well, I'm just… watching. Making sure if anything happens I'll know about it without getting caught up in another ordeal somewhere else."

Ai nodded. She winced as Bowser mercilessly clawed off part of the metal body of the hand. Mario and Luigi were hanging onto the fingers and pulling off the armour. When most of the hand had been stripped of metal Falco suddenly realised that something was different about him. Whereas a few weeks ago the hand had been covered in thick wires, they were now reduced to thin shredded cables between the fingers.

"That didn't happen before," he murmured quietly. "Although it did get damaged when it landed…"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing,"

Before Ai could say anything else, Falco ran off, taking out his own blaster. "Stay there with Fumiko!"

The bird charged at the hand, pushing Wario out of the way and firing wrathfully at the wires. An electric shock startled the Smashers standing on the hand, but almost as soon as it had occurred, the last metal plate clattered to the ground, at last fully revealing the familiar white colour of their boss. But the superior Master Hand's ruthless character still remained. Standing back, Falco watched the Smashers automatically lunge onto the hand and continue the fight. It fought back but caused hardly any damage. It was weak, surrendering.

Ai glanced back at the cowering figure of Fumiko and sighed with disappointment. Ever since she had joined them she had showed no enthusiasm in defeating Yoshiki or saving the other Smashers. The welfare of the Smashers was more important than the safety of a weak, pathetic girl who cowered at the sight of a battle. She had no time to console anyone, and she had spent enough time in training herself. Defiantly Ai took out her gun and rushed into the fray, leaving Fumiko behind and firing mercilessly at Master Hand. A few of the Smashers were surprised to see her sudden change in behaviour and stepped back. The swordsmen, including Metaknight and Pit clambered back onto the hand like ants trying to restrain their prey.

Ai's role ended. Smiling at them confidently she backed away, trying to ignore Falco's stare; a look of disbelief tinged with admiration. The swordsmen readied themselves, balancing as the giant creature rocked and fell heavily to the floor before they leapt into the air. Like skilled performers they descended at the same time, blades thrust downwards. Within seconds the blades pierced the superior Master Hand, ripping through the tough white exterior. Its fingers waved frantically as the last of its power drained away; the sword-wielding Smashers moved back towards their teams.

It was silent. This machine which had been almost as malicious as its master lay unrecognisable amongst the wreckage of the buildings, sparks flying from the cables falling off of it. Eventually even the cables were silenced as the electric current faded.

"Is he…?" Luigi nervously looked around at his companions.

"Perhaps we killed him by mistake," sighed Mewtwo. "I don't detect any sign of life."

Fumiko crawled out of her hiding place. "What've I missed?" she asked cheerily.

"Shut up!" spat Falco. "You don't belong with us. You have shown no commitment, no interest and no respect… You're completely useless!"

Fumiko stared at him, shocked. Ai felt her voice disappear as soon as she tried to use it to argue.

"Fumiko, I've decided," His voice was bold as always but it had an unusual tone of formality that didn't suit his character. "You're dismissed."

"What?!" Fumiko cried. "W-what do you mean?"

"I want you to leave. There is no purpose in keeping you with us." Falco replied curtly.

Fumiko looked at Ai for support. As Falco moved away her voice returned. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, bowing her head.

"But… I need to get home! I'm miles away from Kawasaki!" Fumiko exclaimed. "Tell him he's wrong! I can help!"

Suddenly, the ground shook. The Smashers stared in amazement as dust rose from behind them, debris was hurled from the floor and crashed into the standing buildings around them. A dark shadow rose from the wreckage like a ghost, the dust obscuring what it belonged to.

"Master Hand…?" said Mario. He stepped forward into the grey cloud. Gradually a pale shape formed as the dust settled to the floor. The still form of the superior Smasher had vanished and in its place was Master Hand, exactly how they remembered him before he disappeared.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Diddy Kong. "I knew he wasn't dead!"

_So this is Master Hand… _Ai thought to herself.

The Smashers gathered around the hand as it slowly rose a metre off the ground. Seized by shock, he could not speak. His palm was grazed and dulled by dirt, his fingers limp and the back of the hand slashed and ripped by the Smasher's attacks. No one was sure of what to say.

"Smashers…?" the hand murmured. "…What happened?"

The Smashers sighed with relief. Master Hand looked down at them. At first he thought he was just overreacting, but then he checked them again and realised many of his fighters were missing.

"Where are the others?" he asked, his voice quiet.

The Smashers looked at each other nervously. The hand became impatient. "What happened?!" he demanded.

"You were changed into a superior Smasher!" said Mario. "And then… some of us were taken away. Some of us were changed into superior Smashers too and taken away by Yoshiki."

"Yoshiki?" the hand repeated. That name was familiar. Perhaps it was the last person he saw before he changed. "Wait… was he the one who started this?"

"Yes, Master, don't you remember?" Metaknight piped up. "Remember when you attacked us on Revolution Smash?"

Master Hand stared at him. All these names, these places… they were all familiar, and with every new one mentioned his amnesia began to fade. His gaze then fell upon Ai and his uncertainty returned.

"Who is that?" he asked.

Ai anxiously walked towards him and bowed. Before she could introduce herself, Falco ran to her side.

"This is Ai. Koji Konda, one of the members of Yoshiki's SMASH! News team was… I mean _is _her boyfriend. I don't think I should go into detail right now but she has come with us to find him." he said. Ai nodded silently, bowing again, leaving Master Hand to ponder his next question. A curious Fumiko shuffled forward hoping to be introduced, but catching Falco's glare made her reconsider.

"We've been staying in that hotel over there," he continued, pointing at the broken building. "We arrived here yesterday but have no idea where the Smashers are."

"I see," said Master Hand with a sigh. "Well, we must discuss our next actions."

Without another word, Master Hand floated past them towards the hotel. As the Smashers followed him inside Ai glanced back at Fumiko who was huddled against the rubble, shivering in chill of the early morning. She was about to beckon her forward, but stopped when Falco joined her. Even when he smiled at her she couldn't smile back, leaving her face blank. She had never felt anger towards him until now. Although she did feel disappointed with Fumiko she would never have abandoned her. But she couldn't allow herself to hate him, or anyone in the team for that matter. But what was more important? She didn't belong in the gaming world, but already her life in reality felt like it was fading away…

* * *

_It's about eight o' clock at night now. All day we've been discussing plans, gathering supplies and searching the area. I don't know how we'll find the Smashers. It seems impossible, and it's obvious that they're not in Tokyo. Speaking of which, we still have no idea what's happened to Falco's comrades. I'm worried about all of them, but Krystal was becoming a good friend, and to lose her too would be horrible._

_Most of us have gone to bed, but I still can't sleep. Pit still can't stay quiet, -he's always talking to Metaknight about random stuff- and I think it's not just our worries, it's probably all the junk food we've been eating. The food boxes are piled with sweets, biscuits… whatever sweet food you can name, it's there! Wario's always getting up during the night for a snack -and sometimes Yoshi will follow him- and so we all have to raid the hotel storerooms in the morning._

_I hope Fumiko's alright. I can't believe Falco would just abandon her in the street like that… But I wouldn't dare to say anything to him. For some reason I just can't argue with him._

_Oh well, I guess I should at least try and get some rest now, so, to whoever should read this: goodnight!_

Silence. At last the hotel was still apart from the gentle breathing of the Smashers. A full moon bathed the old city in its light, casting shadows across the debris and the collapsed buildings.

A tall figure restlessly paced backwards and forwards in the corridors, his mind manipulated by pain. His feet refused to let him stop, his arms didn't stop aching. Leaning against the wall he breathed heavily, sweat dripping from his hair. He then made his way over to the window and opened it. The air was cool and comforting, temporarily soothing his pain but it wouldn't vanish completely.

But then the pain intensified and he collapsed to his knees, still grasping the window ledge. Further down the corridor a door opened. The figure became still, watching someone walk out of it. A man walked towards him, at first slowly, but then upon recognising the crouching figure he ran up to him.

"Roy!" he said, sitting down beside him. "What're you doing here?!"

Feeling his sickness worsening, Roy lowered his head, saying nothing.

"Roy… there's something you're hiding. You can tell me."

"Marth, I know I should have said something earlier, but… I didn't know how you would react." he said slowly.

"Just tell me," Marth replied.

Roy lifted his head, unable to meet his gaze. Reluctantly he stretched out his right arm which was wrapped in bandages from his duel with Yoshiki a few weeks ago. His other hand hovered over them. A few seconds passed, and then he nodded, tentatively unfurling them.

As soon as the last white bandage fell to the floor, Marth gasped in horror. The moon cast an eerie glow over the two swordsmen, and as Roy withdrew Marth couldn't take his eyes off of his arm.

"Oh my God… What happened to you?!" Marth exclaimed.

Roy looked down at his arm. It appeared as though it belonged to a machine. Dark black lines stretched from his shoulder to his fingertips, and the flesh had been completely replaced by solid grey armour.

"It started when we left the Smash Mansion. It must have been something in Yoshiki's katana." Roy explained sadly.

"But why didn't you tell me sooner?" replied Marth impatiently. "This is serious!"

"Well…"

Suddenly, sickness crashed onto Roy like a giant wave, causing him to yell in agony.

"Roy!"

"OK, I'll tell you!" Roy gasped. "I…Sometimes I can't… control what I think. When I was pacing back and forth from the pilot's room…I-I did that because… something was telling me in the back of my mind to… to kill… I was going to kill Ai… I don't know what made me think this. I kept t-telling myself not to…"

His friend stared at him, cold sweat forming on his forehead. "Roy… I… I don't know what to say. There must be some way to prevent it… We must tell Master Hand!"

"Do you know where Falco went?" asked Roy.

"Oh, he's gone back in the Great Fox for some reason. Probably because he can't stand Snake's snoring! Anyway, come on. We should tell Master Hand before you change completely…"

Meanwhile, Falco was in the Great Fox, just as restless as the swordsmen. Blocking all light of the moon, the interior of the Great Fox was shrouded in darkness. Finally he could have a decent sleep… or so he thought.

A few hours passed. A few spare blankets remained in the ship to make his sleep more comfortable, so he dragged them into the cockpit. Unless someone came into the ship and disturbed him -he thought of Ai for a moment and laughed to himself- nothing could possibly go wrong.

"HELLO!" A loud voice shouted from the intercom. Falco leapt out of bed, blaster in hand, his heart pounding madly in his chest. When he realised it was only the intercom he sighed and strolled over to it.

"WHAT?!" he yelled in the same tone as the caller. "I'M TRYING TO GET SOME SLEEP!"

"Oh," came the reply. "Well, er, there's this wolf here called Wolf who wants to speak to you. He says he knows you,"

Falco paused. "…WHAT?! Who is this?"

"This is Dedede, King Dedede."

"Never heard of ya!" Falco retorted. "Now you said something abo-"

"Yeah, I'm here,"

Another voice came from the intercom, this time it was familiar. Very familiar.

"Oh great, not you," he sighed, flopping onto his seat. "What do you want, Wolf? I'm kinda busy so I don't wanna start the whole tryi-"

"Whoah! Hold on, who is this? Dedede, I asked for Fox!"

"Oh…" The unfamiliar voice echoed in the background.

"Fox isn't here!" Falco shouted.

"Ah, it's only Falco…" sighed Wolf. "Look, I'm not asking for a fight, I've been asked to become a superior Smasher by Master Hand. Have you seen the him and the other Smashers?"

The bird fell quiet, resting his head on his hand. "Where are you now?"

"I'm just above Tokyo… or what remains of it. I think I can see your ship from here so… shall I meet you?"

"Wait, yeah. And…you're absolutely positive that you're a Smasher?" Falco asked doubtfully.

"Well, yeah," Wolf replied casually. "I'll be landing now, so meet me, yeah?"

The intercom then clicked and became silent. Frustrated, Falco ran out of the Great Fox. "Heh, I should have known that I wouldn't get to sleep…"

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Poor Roy... what's gonna happen to him next? In the next chapter Wolf will tell the Smashers about those little microchip things that Dedede had. Marth now constantly watches Roy, making sure he doesn't kill anyone when their back is turned...**

**Please review!**


	8. The Decisions

**Kyoko: It's time for chapter 8! Yay! Thank you to everyone who has been reviewing! At last we'll be going back to the SMASH! News team who have finally arrived in Tokyo. It's been a while since I mentioned them last, and now Isamu makes an important decision for his team. Summary please!**

**Peach: I'm afraid it's quite sad... an argument occurs between two SMASH! News team members over a dangerous decision and Master Hand choose whether or not to keep Roy with the Smashers as they move through Japan. After all, he could kill any one of them any moment now. Then, upon hearing the hand's choice, Roy asks Marth to promise him something...**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all SMASH! News team members.**

* * *

"We should go back,"

"And face Riku? Are you mad?"

"But we're going nowhere… and look at this place. Is this really Tokyo?"

Exhausted, Yumi collapsed onto her knees next to Shika. Taro quickly rushed over to her and helped her up, his youthful face drained of its usual vitality. Akira sluggishly dragged his feet over the uneven slope before sitting down next to his companions. Eventually, Tsuyoshi, with his dark blue hair waving in the breeze, appeared over the hill with Momoko clinging onto his arm.

"Yoshiki should be here," said Isamu quietly.

"But he isn't!" Yumi retorted irritably. "We must go back!"

"We've already travelled many miles. We can't go back now," Isamu told her impatiently.

"But what happened to this place?" asked Shin. "Surely the Smashers didn't do this?"

Dissolving into the mass of grey clouds overhead, Mt. Fuji's snow-capped head was visible above the twisted piles of rubble. It lay untouched from destruction, the area serene as if it were plunged into perpetual meditation.

Silently the SMASH! News team gathered together on the floor. Akira, his stomach still full from eating at unattended sushi stands, lay on his back and fell asleep. Taro hungrily pulled a packet of sweets out of his pocket and ate them.

"Let's go," Isamu said firmly after resting for a few minutes. "If Yoshiki isn't here then we must continue north,"

"Since when have you started giving orders?" said Hotaru angrily. "We've been travelling for days with hardly any rest and now you want us to carry on?"

"We have no choice," said Isamu. "We'll need to split up. Taro,"

Isamu looked down at the teen. "I need you to go north to Nikko."

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Yumi. She defiantly stood in between them. "No! We will stay together!"

Sighing, Isamu patted her on the shoulder, frustrating her even more. Taro wasn't sure who to listen to, but the arguing had woken Akira.

"Don't listen to him, Taro," Yumi said frantically, pushing Isamu back. "You'll stay here with us,"

"No, Taro! It's vital that we search everywhere! Tsuyoshi, you'll check Utsunomiya, won't you?"

Nervously, Tsuyoshi gave him a false look of agreement and nodded. Isamu had discussed this decision with him privately whilst they were travelling, telling him of his plans to send everyone off to different areas of Japan to find Yoshiki and prepare for attack from the Smashers. Yumi stared at him.

"I can't believe you," she growled at Isamu. "It's too dangerous. What if Tokyo isn't the only place that's destroyed?"

For a moment Isamu stood back, unable to counter. Taro, who was about to head off towards Nikko, sat back down again.

"Maybe Yumi's right," he said quietly.

"See? Isamu, you can't force us into this!"

"I'll do what I like!"

Feeling his rage reach its limit, Isamu powerfully shoved Yumi backwards. Her hands were wrenched from his arms, leaving behind several red marks as she fell over a broken white shinkansen carriage. At once Taro leapt to his feet and caught her, his face grave as he caught her brown eyes shimmering with fury.

"Fine," she spat, her body shaking uncontrollably. "I don't care. Just go."

Isamu gazed at her, running both hands through his blonde hair. As his anger subsided, remorse kicked in, a feeling so strong that his sudden increase in strength felt like nothing.

"Yumi," he breathed, lowering his head. "Forgive me, I just… I just want us to do what's right."

"But doing what _you_ think is right may not be the same for all of us!" Yumi shouted, striding up to him until they were only inches apart. "Do what you like, I'm staying here."

"Isamu, this is ridiculous! Stay here!" said Shika.

"No, no, she's right," Isamu said calmly. Running his hands through her long blonde hair, he watched her face relax slightly. As he leaned his head towards her she turned away, feeling disappointed not only with him but also herself.

"Go," she whispered before walking away. She touched him lightly on the shoulder but avoided his gaze.

"I'm sorry," Isamu replied softly. "Don't worry, I'll be back,"

"I'm not worried," said Yumi, her voice devoid of emotion.

His heart sank. Silently Isamu bowed to the rest of the team, smiled at Yumi and walked away. Within seconds he had disappeared beyond the wreckage.

"Where's he going?" Momoko asked worriedly. "He'll be back, Yumi, don't worry."

Yumi inhaled deeply, feeling the frustration pounding in her head. "I don't care."

* * *

Outside the hotel the giant Wolfen stood next to the Great Fox, an unusual sight considering they would never be this close without being caught in a dogfight. Inside the Great Fox, Dedede dived into Falco's blanket and lay still as he listened to Falco and Wolf's conversation.

"Who is that?" asked Falco, keeping his distance away from Wolf.

"Oh, that's Dedede," The wolf pointed at the blanket and the bird's head peeked over it. "He said he's from some place called Dream Land and talks about this thing called Kirby…"

"Kirby?" said Falco.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he was a Smasher until he got blasted off Revolution Smash…"

"Whoah! Hold on a second!" Wolf laughed. "What's all this about being blasted off Revolution Smash?"

Even Dedede looked confused. Wearily he waddled towards them hugging the blue blanket. "You know somethin' about Kirby, eh?" he questioned, eyeing Falco suspiciously. "And you say he's a Smasher?"

Falco moved backward uneasily as Wolf and Dedede shuffled forward to carry on their interrogation.

"Er, yeah," he replied, a nervous tone in his voice. "Kirby, along with some other Smashers were changed into superior Smashers by this guy called Yoshiki Inukai. The Smashers and I tried to defeat him and these superior Smashers but the planet, Revolution Smash, exploded. I'm positive he was unaffected by the explosion and the superior Smashers must have survived too. However, just before the planet blew up he dragged Fox with him…"

Wolf's ears pricked up at the name of his rival. "Did he become a superior Smasher too?"

It saddened him to go through the story once more, and the wolf could tell from the bird's face that the news was not good.

"No," Falco sighed. "But anyway, I took over his duty as commander which everyone else has agreed to. Plus, I've got this girl I have to look after too; Ai Hoshino, girlfriend of a cameraman called Koji Konda."

Dedede rolled onto his back like a lazy dog with the blanket tossed over his rotund belly. All these names meant nothing to him except for Kirby's. With a look of intelligence shining in his dark eyes, it looked as though Wolf would make a smart remark about the death of his foe.

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that. It must be hard to accustom yourself to this new position."

"What?"

"Well, I have to feel at least a little bit of sympathy, especially if I'm going to stay with you in the mansion," Wolf replied, patting him on the shoulder.

"Don't start getting pally with me!" Falco retorted, swatting at his hand irritably. He stood up and walked towards the door. "You coming?"

"Well, yeah, obviously," Dedede yawned resignedly. "…Hey, Wolf. We've heard of Yoshiki and Koji, haven't we?"

"I dunno, have we?"

Falco raised an eyebrow. The wolf's jaw lay open, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile.

"Ah!" Wolf exclaimed. "Of course! The newspaper!"

"Newspaper?!"

"See, Wolf? How could you have got here without me?" said Dedede sarcastically.

"Listen, Falco, we'll tell you later, it's a long story," said Wolf guiltily. "We'll tell you about these other new Smashers too."

Falco's face suddenly lit up. Master Hand was going to introduce _more_ Smashers? His mind wandered to the deserted corridors of the mansion and how many more Smashers that would soon be walking along it…

Together they stepped out of the silver Great Fox and into the cool morning air. Dedede and Wolf gasped in shock at the obliteration of Tokyo revealed by the sunlight. Just a few metres ahead was the old hotel and many voices coming from inside it and they began to wonder what reactions they'll receive from their introductions.

* * *

_I knew it. I knew something was wrong. Roy's very ill and there's nothing we can do to help him. He hasn't moved from the corridor since last night and he's in too much pain to stand. Even Master Hand doesn't know what to do. I try to talk to him but Marth suggests that I stay away from him, saying that it's best if he's left alone. But everyone else gets to see him! I don't understand. Why can't I see him?_

_Falco's just arrived back from his ship with two other strange creatures. I had been wondering where he was… Anyway, at first I didn't recognise them, but then I realised that they were Wolf and King Dedede. I was surprised and a little anxious to see Wolf so calm standing next to his rival, and Dedede always wears this proud look on his face. I don't know that much about him, but I could guess from his personality that he was probably an enemy of Kirby._

_We're having a meeting… again. I shouldn't feel so annoyed about them really, they're going to help us. Marth is going to stay with Roy since he could be a danger to us. He hasn't told us how it happened, how he is slowly, painfully transforming into this superior Smasher. It's undoubtedly the work of Yoshiki again. Even without direct contact with that monster he has almost left us with one less Smasher in the team._

_Well, I'd better join the others now…_

He lay hidden, melting into what remained of the ornate walls, almost tossed aside like an outcast. Voices murmured from behind the walls, some desperate, some composed. Only Marth accompanied him as his body steadily prepared itself for its superior alteration. Roy could no longer trust himself with his own sword, instead entrusting it to his companion. As the discussions of Yoshiki and the superior Smashers continued into the afternoon, controlling his anger was almost unbearable, and the pain in his head refused to leave him.

Beyond the red walls of his enclosure -Roy and Marth had found an old storeroom - the strong voice of Master Hand reverberated in the remains of the restaurant area next to it. Wolf found it was the perfect time to introduce the Smashers to the small black object that Dedede found in the Smash Mansion.

"Excuse me, Master Hand," he said loudly. He pulled the object out of Dedede's robe pocket. "I think this will help us,"

"Wow, what's that?" Pit interrupted, his eyes widening. Snake narrowed his eyes at the tiny white symbols engraved on the side of it. He casually walked up to them to get a better view, pushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"A microchip?" he murmured. "It has Japanese on this side."

Ai opened her mouth to speak, her heart leaping excitedly as Snake read out the text.

"I see…" the hand sighed, stretching out a finger as Snake picked up the chip and placed it on the tip. "A map."

He stopped briefly to study the source of the noise behind the boxes of food at the opposite side of the room. Of course, it was Wario. Several chocolate biscuits were squashed in his giant fists with just as many crammed into his mouth, a guilty smile spreading across his dirty face as he tried to hide the mound of crumbs at his feet.

"So what's this map about?" asked Falco. He was perched on top of a toppled candy machine already cleared out by Wario's vacuum mouth, with Metaknight sitting beside him. Pit was also next to him; his hyperactive character had changed dramatically since they had left the mansion, suddenly making him more tolerable.

"We don't know unless we activate it somehow," replied Master Hand, carefully turning the microchip over. Wario breathed a sigh of relief as Master Hand turned away, then carried on eating. "Possibly the whereabouts of Yoshiki or, even better, the superior Smashers,"

Again, tediously the weather resumed it solemn song of wind and rain, mimicking the their emotions. Master Hand twitched as a few raindrops fell on him through the broken roof. A biting chill paused the conversation, silencing them all apart from Wario's continuous feasting. Ai pulled her red trench coat jacket tighter round her shoulders. She regretted putting on a skirt, for her legs were also getting cold.

"Perhaps I could do something with that," Falco pondered, mostly to himself.

Ai looked up at him. "W-what?"

"I could probably extract the information somehow with using the controls in my ship," The bird faltered slightly with his uncertainty of whether or not it was right to say 'my', though as far as the Smashers were concerned, the Great Fox was now belonged to him. If a hand could smile, Master Hand would have done just that.

"Really?" he said.

"Yeah, sure. Do you mind I take a look at it?"

The hand contracted its fingers in a downward movement, beckoning him forward. Without a word, Falco picked up the microchip and hurried out the door, swiftly nodding at them before he left. Wolf glanced at Dedede out of the corner of his eye. As if receiving a telepathic message, Dedede smiled and they both followed him out the door. Ai was about to jump off her chair to follow them, then decided that she would only get in the way.

"There's still one other issue that we must discuss," said Metaknight after they left. "If we do have start travelling around Japan to follow this map, what will happen to Roy?"

"Will he still be able to come with us?" Mario asked worriedly.

They all simultaneously turned their heads towards the storeroom door as if Roy would jump out any minute.

"Considering that he is unable to control his actions, that the Smash Mansion is currently occupied by journalists like you say and that he could kill any one of us any day now…" All eyes were fixed upon Master Hand. "Ah… I really don't know."

"Well, as long as we keep an eye on him," said Snake. "Marth said that he would make sure that he's OK,"

"I can't just abandon one of my own Smashers," Master Hand sighed, flexing his fingers restlessly. "But he will be a threat to all of us."

Ai sadly stared down at the floor as he reminded her of a similar decision her own leader had made a few hours earlier, only this was a decision which included more contemplation.

"He will come with us," the hand announced. "It will be painful to see him suffer like this, but there's nothing I can do. As soon as he becomes a threat to anyone, we must leave him."

Meanwhile, two swordsmen listened to the announcement. For Roy, the relief of knowing that he would not be cast aside eased the pain a little. He didn't speak much to his friend, preferring to lay in the stillness of the tiny storeroom. It was a wonder that he hadn't suffered from claustrophobia; it was that small.

"He c-called me a threat…" he murmured through clenched teeth. "Unable to control my actions…"

"He doesn't mean it like that," Marth replied. "He's just worried about you, that's all,"

"He talks about me as if I'm… some sort of animal. A-as if I-I'm some kind of m-murderer!"

Marth was about to reply, but stopped when he heard a scratching noise coming from outside the door. He leaned sideways to peer under the gap in the door to find two pairs of little yellow feet next to the door. Pikachu and Pichu had joined Wario to indulge in the hotel food, and they sat against the door nibbling at rice crackers and celery sticks.

"But at least you're still coming with us," Marth smiled reassuringly. 

Since last night Roy's condition had worsened; the armour now spreading across his chest. No one knew how long it would take for him to be completely transformed into a superior Smasher, but what was more worrying was the change to his murderous nature.

"May I… a-ask you something?" said Roy, lowering his head as nausea swept over him again.

"Sure," said Marth.

"Well… would you… w-would you kill me if I a-attempted t-to kill any of the Smashers o-or Ai?"

Marth froze. He would never kill Roy under any circumstances, but if it were to result in the death of a Smasher… was it best to be honest?

"I… I don't know," Marth said anxiously. "I would never consider trying to kill you anyway!"

"You have an answer," Roy snapped suddenly. "Tell me, b-be honest with me,"

Marth lifted his head back and stared at the ceiling. In the end, he knew it was best to choose his first response, a blunt response.

"If you were to kill anyone," he explained quietly. "Then I think I would have to. I wouldn't want to, but if you had injured or killed anyone then, yes, I would have to…"

Roy lowered his head more, letting his red hair fall over his eyes. "… I was hoping you would say that."

"W-why?"

"I will still be mortal u-until I change c-completely… If I even a-attempt to harm a Smasher, t-then kill me. I can't bear the thought o-of h-having to live like this… in pain, with the o-only temporary cure being to k-kill someone. Please promise that you will do this, Marth,"

Moved by his friend's plea, Marth held his breath to repress his emotion. "If you're sure about this…"

He looked down at the Sword of Seals resting beside him. Roy nodded.

"Piiiichuuu,"

Two small rice crackers were pushed under the door. Marth took his and passed the other to Roy, but he said he didn't feel like eating. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

"Marth, Roy," It was Ai's voice. "We're going back on the ship."

* * *

**Such a hard decision... But at least Roy will be joining them for a few more chapters... In the next chapter the Smashers are forced to split up once more as the map reveals important information about the Smashers, and a few of the Smashers begin to notice Ai acting strangely.**

**I thought I'd something more interesting than 'Please review!', so... Please click that little purple button!**


	9. Quip me up

**Kyoko: Chapter 9 is up! It's been a whole week since I wrote the last chapter! Did you notice the chapter title pun? LOL OK, time for a summary!**

**Metaknight: The Smashers are forced to go seperate ways as the microchip is activated and Falco's team become suspicious of Ai. Ai reveals something in her diary of events and Wolf travels to Utsunomiya while Falco heads further north, but what will they have to report?**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all the members of the SMASH! News team.**

* * *

By now the sunlight had strengthened, bathing old Tokyo in a golden pool yet it failed to accentuate any beauty of the buildings still standing or Mt Fuji a few miles away. All of the Smashers, Master Hand and Ai clambered into the Great Fox once again with newcomers Wolf and Dedede. With the new Smashers inside the ship it seemed a lot more crowded, or perhaps it was just Dedede; as well as taking up a lot of room the floor groaned under his weight. Reluctantly, Ai accustomed herself to life back in the main room where the Smashers stayed. It was reassuring to know that they had quietened down since they last boarded the ship; it was only early afternoon and Pit was already fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Marth and Roy joined Falco and Wolf in the stressful task of activating the microchip. Roy was never left out of sight of the blue-haired swordsman, talking to him about their adventures to delay the time for his mind to wander to its superior side. Despite the seemingly wholehearted introduction of Wolf to the Smashers, Falco kept his distance away from him, always vigilant of his every move.

"This isn't working," Wolf sighed, falling back into the chair behind him. "Perhaps if we attach it to something?"

Frustrated, Falco leaned forward and grabbed the microchip, pacing back and forth desperately fighting against the urge to throttle him.

"And _why_ would we do that exactly, Wolf?" the bird asked. His voice became strained as his anger intensified. "There's nothing to attach it to! And besides, you're looking in the wrong place, you moron!"

Wolf merely smiled, baring his teeth with false composure. "Of course, I should know everything about this ship! Of course I should know every little detail about this stupid aircraft!"

The anger exploded. Wolf leapt backwards as Falco lunged at him, blaster drawn out faster than lightning. Wolf took out his own blaster and stepped backwards so they were opposite one another.

"You should take more care in hiding your emotions, Falco," he warned. "You uncover weaknesses too easily. If I knew that I only had to insult the ship to make you angry I would have done this years ago!"

"Shut up," Falco growled dangerously. "I must have been mad to have allowed you on this ship. What's the point in deliberately annoying me? Haven't you understood your relationship in this team?"

"I don't think you're fully aware of yours!" Wolf laughed, defiantly strolling up to him with his blaster still in hand. "You decided to become commander but what progress have you made? From what I know, you've spent a few days in some rundown hotel and got Master Hand back,"

Just then the door opened and Ai walked in to check on them. She gasped when she saw them.

"Oh…" She craned her head over the seats to see if the microchip was there. "Er, still having trouble?"

Wolf quickly returned his blaster to its holster and patted Falco on the shoulder. He angrily pulled himself away. "Yeah, don't worry. We're just… er, thinking. We don't understand how this thing works."

"Let me see it," said Ai. Falco held out his hand and dropped the microchip into her palm. The bird raised an eyebrow at the thought of Ai being interested in the mechanical side of computer technology. It didn't suit her character at all. "Ah, I see,"

"What?"

Excitedly Ai ran up to the control panel and brushed the board with her fingertips. Falco watched her nervously but Wolf observed with curiosity.

"I remember Koji telling me about this one time," Ai explained. "He was putting one in his camera before he filmed a show when we were in college. If we just lift up this panel…"

Ai lifted a metal plate on the right of the control panel, placed the microchip inside and then, with slight anxiety, pressed the button next to it. Sure enough, something happened. The intercom screen flickered into life. Both the wolf and the bird stared at each other and shrugged.

"Ai, you did it!" Falco exclaimed. As he moved over to the screen he embraced her for a moment, surprising her. When he broke away she felt disappointed that the moment was so short.

The intercom screen displayed a map of Japan. Scattered across the image were several red dots flashing on it. At this point Marth and Roy also joined them, glad that the fight was over. Master Hand floated into the room, disturbed by the shouting.

"What's going on?"

"Ai's a genius," Falco beamed. "We've been trying to activate the microchip for half an hour, and then she comes in and does it in an instant!"

As Master Hand looked at her, Ai couldn't help feeling a rush of pride rise within her. She bowed modestly, her face red from the compliment.

"So is it a map?" the hand asked, gliding towards the control panel.

"Yes, it's a map of Japan. It has nine dots on it, but we don't know what they lead to." said Wolf.

"Possibly Smashers?" Marth added.

"We'll worry about that later," interrupted Master Hand. "For now we must concentrate on getting to these places as soon as possible. We may have to rearrange the teams again."

"Why?" Ai asked.

"Wolf has the Wolfen, so he could take some Smashers with him."

Wolf shot him an incredulous look. "I don't think that will work…"

"Don't start making excuses. You're a Smasher, one of _my_ Smashers, so you'll do as I say." Master Hand said firmly. "Perhaps you could take the microchip and use it in your ship. Take Mario and Ganondorf's team with you."

Falco sneered at Wolf.

"But I don't think the Wolfen could cope with them!" the wolf countered, trying to stay polite. "Have you seen that dragon in there? It's like an earthquake when he stomps about!"

"Ah, so the Wolfen can't cope?" Falco laughed mockingly.

"No! I mean, yes, it can cope. Yes, Master Hand, I'll do it."

He wasn't used to obeying orders, but accepted his role nonetheless. The hand was aware of his deceitful look, and wondered if he was right to include him as a new Smasher. Feeling as though he should show his appreciation for the job, Wolf bowed before the hand. Its execution was portrayed as somewhat overconfident. As Marth and Roy started another conversation, Master Hand moved through the door with Wolf following him. But as he reached the door, the wolf turned to Ai.

"Ai, thanks for helping us," he said. "I… Well, I might need your help again."

"Ah, no problem!" Ai replied sweetly. "I'm sure it will work in yours too."

Straightening her coat as she stood up, he glanced back at Falco as if waiting for his approval. He said nothing. "I'll be back in a minute," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, sure," the bird retorted moodily. "We'll be leaving in a minute so don't be long,"

Ai and Wolf walked through the door. The noise surprised them; Pit had woken up, his eyes shining. It was obvious that the junk food had taken its toll on the angel, and he back to his animated self again. Whilst Ai gathered the two teams of Smashers and took them outside, Wolf turned to her.

"Are they always like this?" he asked nervously as they crowded onto the Wolfen.

"Yes," Ai replied. "Sure, they may be loud most of the time, but if you get to know them…"

"I'm not surprised that Falco's been so moody!"

* * *

_We're moving again. Ah, the stillness, it's so peaceful! It's strange to go back into the main room and find it practically empty. With Pit's sugar levels fluctuating at random points its impossible to be prepared for the next bout of craziness. Metaknight says he will devise a plan to calculate when Pit will act like this, but we all know __it's down to the food. I confronted Falco earlier about this since I never found the time to ask him if we could get better food. As usual I'm met with a blank expression and another topic of conversation. How frustrating. All I want is a decent meal!_

_The Great Fox and Wolfen have gone their separate ways. Most of the Smashers have joined Wolf with the microchip to find what's at the different points on the map. I hope they are Smashers. And if it's true that Koji is a superior Smasher -I really do hope he is- then we may be able to find him too. Sometimes Wolf contacts us using the intercom and gives us any updates. Since we left Tokyo he's only contacted us twice and we've been travelling for an hour, and the only information we're given is about the weather. I could see that Wolf was struggling to manage the Smashers; Dedede kept taking over the intercom and even Luigi kept jumping in front of Wolf to say hello._

_Without everyone else I think everyone is less tense. Snake now rarely stays in his box. Whenever I come into the room, however, they all look at me as if I were a complete stranger to them. Pit said "Why don't you stay with us?" I want to tell him the truth but I can't. I reply "Because I feel like it." I spend some time with them; feeling relaxed now that Pit has stopped asking the question for now, but eventually my answer won't be good enough. After a few minutes I wander back to the cockpit again. It's not that I don't like them, I like all of the Smashers, but I prefer Falco's company over the rest of them. Maybe it's his kindness or his jokes that make me want to stay with him. I'm surprised that no one ever usual thought of him as kind in general. The atmosphere it forever abuzz with his irony whenever I step into the room and sit back down in the chair next to him. I'm glad he's not in a bad mood anymore. Wolf was right, looking after the other Smashers must have been stressful!_

_Master Hand has left us, saying that he must go back to the Smash Mansion to do something important, probably to see Crazy Hand. Our team is heading north to continue our search for Yoshiki. Mewtwo told us to go north before we left because he felt an evil aura there._

_It's not easy trying to write on a ship. It keeps swerving so my handwriting is going all over the place! I'll write more when we land._

Metaknight watched Pit from behind his silver mask. The angel's glossy wings flapped restlessly, knocking the steel walls behind him. Behind his innocent smile Pit was planning the time of his next dose of sugar. It seemed like he was always hungry; the human form of Yoshi.

"Pit, you've eaten ten chocolate bars since we set off," Metaknight scolded him. His sword, Galaxia, twitched in his hand, threatening to plunge into the angel. His patience was now thin, tolerance narrowing with every wrapper that fell to the floor.

"Ignore him," said Snake. "He'll be sick later. That might teach him not to eat so much."

"I'm not going to wait until he's sick," retorted Metaknight, concern evident in his voice. "How long will it take?"

"Hmm, good point," Snake sighed, helping himself to the food in the boxes.

In the far corner of the room Roy sat with Marth. Roy's nausea had faded for long enough to allow him to eat. However, although the physical pain of his sickness had subsided, his mentality was torn in two. He longed to speak to Ai. Even if the conversation only lasted a minute, he wanted to see her. When she came into the room he was afraid of what he would say or do. He understood that the only reason he wanted to see her was to kill her.

"Where do you think we are?" said Marth.

"In a ship," Metaknight replied sarcastically. He flew into the cockpit and arrived back a few seconds later with the news. "Near Mito."

"We still have a long way to go," said Snake with a sigh.

"How's Ai and Falco?" asked Marth.

"Didn't stay too long," Metaknight replied as he settled down on top of Snake's empty box. "Laughing as usual."

"I've never thought of that bird as a comedian," Snake laughed. "I've never heard him crack a joke even _once_ at the Smash Mansion!"

They all fell silent. Marth's eyes darted around the room as if seeking an answer to some hidden question. "Do you think-?"

"No!"

"I was thinking the same thing!"

"You think that-?"

The room erupted into accusations, a whirlwind of rumors. Pit's planning burst from the shouts of denial and laughter. "W-what's going on?" he asked, still dazed from his dream-like state.

"Nothing!" exclaimed Marth anxiously. "We were just-"

"Nothing to worry about!" Metaknight told him confidently.

The angel pouted, gracefully floating to the floor and folding his arms. The engine rumbled like his hungry stomach. He shrugged.

"OK," he said simply, sitting down next to the food box.

Many sighs of relief were released. With the attention-span of a child, unless the noise was caused by his goddess Palutena he would carry on with whatever he was doing, which was eating. The Smasher shuffled to the other end of the room; Pit didn't notice them.

"OK, so…" Metaknight glanced over his shoulder at Pit. "You think something's going on?"

"I noticed something a while ago," said Marth. "After the ship rolled over I went into the cockpit and Ai was laughing. She had been so sad one minute and then she goes in there and she's like a different person."

"Are you sure there isn't some misunderstanding?" Roy questioned him.

"What I find strange is that she doesn't talk about Koji much anymore," said Snake, frowning. "But we can't say anything to her or Falco."

"Of course," the others replied in unison.

"…Perhaps I should go and see them?" said Metaknight, moving towards the door. The Smashers nodded and watched him with curiosity as he silently left the room.

Two feet stepped cautiously in the room. Then again, he could hardly stay inconspicuous as he entered, for it wasn't what he saw, it was what he heard that surprised him. The air was buzzing with witticisms, the remnants of old tales that hung in the air. Merging with them was Ai's laughter, fits of merry giggles ringing in his ears like wedding bells. Falco's attention on the controls were set aside as he joined in with her, both of them absorbed in their elation.

"What's going on?" Metaknight called over the noise. He heard Ai choke suddenly from surprise, and then continued giggling.

"N-nothing!" Ai gasped, grasping onto the edge of her seat.

"You must have done _something_ to make her laugh, Falco. What's the secret, eh?" said Metaknight, swooping over her chair and landing in front of them.

Falco looked away and began sorting out the controls again. "Nothing, Metaknight," he replied, his face expressionless. "I'm allowed to make someone laugh, aren't I?"

"Well, yes…" Metaknight said awkwardly. The toll of bells had now ended, and only the drone of the engine could be heard. "I was just…"

"All I'm doing is making her laugh," Falco continued, his face grave. "After what she's been through. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?"

Ai looked at him and smiled. He nodded his head towards Metaknight and made a strange gesture, making her laugh again.

"I seriously don't get it," the swordsman sighed. "I give up."

"Bye," Ai said. Defeated, Metaknight walked out of the door. She could hear the Smashers whispering excitedly and felt suspicious.

"What was all that about?" she wondered aloud. To be honest, she could tell from Metaknight's voice that he hadn't come for a chat.

"Don't worry about him," Falco replied reassuringly. Ai breathed in deeply, closing her eyes.

"_He knows about us…_"she thought. "_He knows that I've betra-_"

"HI PEOPLE!"

"Dedede, get off the intercom!"

The deep voice of Dedede bellowed through the intercom as his face appeared on the screen. He was pushed off Wolf's seat and replaced by Wolf.

"Yeah, hi," he said grumpily. "We've arrived in Utsunomiya. Falco, it's not good I'm afraid."

Ai froze, her eyes widening. Falco leaned towards the intercom.

"What is it, Wolf?" he said. Still keeping his eyes on the screen, he pulled a lever forward, making the ship move slower.

"The city, it's… destroyed."

Even Dedede fell silent at the news. Both ships became shrouded in disbelief, gripped by uncontrollable depression. Ai bit her lip, refusing to release the renewed sadness and anger.

"Oh, right," Falco replied, shaking his head sadly. "Have you landed yet?"

"No, I'll tell you when we do though," said Wolf. "And Ai… I'm sorry."

Ai opened her mouth to reply but he had already gone, leaving her suspended between shock and composure. Falco was about to console her, but she raised her hand.

"It's OK," she said sadly. "I can't let him do this. I can't let him see me defeated."

"_But how much more will it take before I am… I can't take much more of this…_"

**

* * *

**

It's not only Tokyo that's destroyed... And what does Metaknight think about Ai and Falco? Wolf's about to arrive in what remains of Utsunomiya a few miles away from them, but what will the map tell them? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know there wasn't a lot of action but I put a bit of romance in its place! In the next chapter I hope to put in a fight scene, and for Falco's team the search for Yoshiki begins!

Oh yeah, and if you want to see my attempt at writing comedy then please read my story Operation Randomness!

**Go on, press that little purple button!**


	10. On the Border of Tranquillity

**Kyoko: It's time for chapter 10! And it's the longest one so far! Sorry it took a while, I've had school and stuff so I couldn't update as often. But now I'm on a 2 week break -woo!- so I should be able to put a few more chapters up before I get back to school again! Summary please!**

**Zelda: Wolf's team have gone past Utsunomiya and arrived in Nikko to visit its main shrine Futara-san. Ai continues to write down her thoughts in her diary and finally admits something, then a strange boy meets Wolf's team but only leads them to trouble...**

**JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all SMASH! News team members (the current ones and all ones!)**

* * *

Eyes descended upon the debris, the city's name ripped away, its heart silenced forever. A sole aircraft soared above, the only thing moving. It was unnerving that the sun should shine so bright on a city overflowing with sorrow, drowning in its pain. The supposedly comforting change in weather only roused the destruction from the shadows and outraged the aircraft's passengers even more. Outrage was either expressed by silence or faint whispering; for Wolf, his decision was silence. He forced himself to look down, miles and miles of smashed tarmac, trees sprawling their arms across billboards stretching before him.

The Wolfen flew past the wreckage, the ground below buried in its shadow. It passed over the remains of Utsunomiya Station, its trains deformed, a collapsed bullet train thrown across mangled railroads with shattered glass gleaming like stars on the floor. Even Utsunomiya's most famous shopping center, Bell Mall, had been reduced to dark ruins and ashes. There was no sign of fatalities, but such an attack was impossible to avoid, and it would have been impossible to predict. Everywhere Wolf turned, the ground had been ripped apart, manipulated as if it were as easy to handle as clay. They reached towards the sky like grey waves.

Dedede waddled into the cockpit. His features, from his gait to his face, were drenched in sadness. He didn't say anything as he took a seat next to Wolf, and the two of them sat in silence for a while, gazing out of the window at the old city.

"Can we land yet?" the bird sighed. The wolf's ears flattened.

"No," he replied through clenched teeth. "Get back in the main room with the others, I'm sure they're better company than I am."

Dedede let out a deep laugh, startling Wolf. His ears flicked upwards at the sound. "Don't be silly," he replied softly. "You may call me pompous, but no one can stand the company of those Smashers! Ah, life at the mansion must be like a fairground, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Wolf said. "But that's if we ever get there."

"Don't be like that, Wolf!" Dedede snapped jokingly, patting him on the arm. "You're such a pessimist! Yeah, I know things look bleak, but we'll get there. Ha, no wonder you never win your battles!"

"What do you mean?!" Wolf demanded, suddenly losing his control on the ship. "I don't see you winning any either."

They laughed, the cold mood gradually thawed by their friendly conversations. Wolf had to admit that he liked Dedede and was glad that he refused his order to go back with the other Smashers. A smile broadened on his face, a rare event, as a certain bird and girl sprung to mind. If he were to endure with Dedede's sonorous laugh and tedious tales for the rest of journey, he knew that they should at least talk to one another without bickering. It wouldn't be a strong friendship like Falco and Ai's; Dedede would remain as an acquaintance. He would make sure it stayed that way. These contrasting personalities had been brought together and got on well, but eventually they both grew tired of each other's company -something they both had in common; getting bored easily- and Dedede went back to the main room to join his comrades.

At last, Wolf was alone again, just how he had planned himself to be throughout the journey. Never one to engage in friendly chats, he wanted to make sure he didn't affect any of the more optimistic Smashers with his negative aura.

Just then, an area of untouched land rose over the horizon. A small azure ribbon meandered around the tall trees of the land, reduced to a trickle. Excitedly, Wolf activated the intercom.

"Hey! Falco!"

"What?" came the instant reply from the Great Fox.

"There's... there's actually something which is still intact! I can't see what it is yet but it looks like some sort of building and there's a bridge further ahead." He felt his heart swell with joy as he heard Ai gasp in the background. How could she change his character so suddenly? Nothing ever pierced the tough exterior of this mercenary, not even the saddest of stories. "Anyway," he continued. "Where are you right now?"

"Not over any major cities," the bird replied. "So, how are things where you are Smasher-wise?"

"Oh, don't ask," the wolf sighed, resting his head on his clawed hand. "A nightmare. I'm telling ya, if I hear that dragon, Bowser I think he's called, fight with Wario again, I will kill them both! The stress, it's my worst enemy right now, it's biting away at me like fleas..."

"Well, I've had my share of problems too, you know," said Falco, his face wearing an equal amount of monotony as the other pilot. "Roy's been going off to the superior side again. Sheesh, it nearly frightened us all to death! One minute he's talking to Metaknight then he grabs his sword off Marth and charges into the cockpit trying to kill us all! It lasted only about half a minute, but it's getting serious. I don't know what to do with him,"

"Not my problem," Wolf grinned, reverting back to the arrogant self that his rival knew well. "Better sort it out quickly, eh?"

Falco went quiet, his expression bitter. "Since when have you ever given me orders?"

"You misinterpreted the sentence," Wolf told him, laughing mockingly at the disgruntled bird's face. "I'm going to land now, but I'll inform you of any news as soon as I can,"

With a nod of his head, Falco's face disappeared from the intercom. As soon as it did, Dedede poked his yellow beak around the door, a small smile spreading on his face.

"We're here!" he cheered, flapping his arms and throwing invisible confetti into the air.

"You're so nosy," Wolf retorted. "And stop doing that. We're not here for a party, this is a serious matter,"

"Like I said, Wolf, you've got to look on the bright side," Dedede skipped over to the window and pressed his hands against it, peering down into the vast ocean of green. "You've done well so far, coping with that lot. Things should be easier once we get out of the Wolfen."

"You'd better be right," Wolf mumbled under his breath.

The Wolfen decelerated, its wings tipping slightly to the left, balancing, then descended. The chatter of lively Smashers increased, growing like the buzzing of bees. Desperate to get them outside, Wolf ushered them towards the exit and into the fresh air.

It lay there unscathed, a crimson arc stretching over the river like a rainbow, the bridge to the main shrines of Nikko. Boulders rolled down the banks and into the river, crashing as they landed upon the shallow bed. However, this spiritual haven had only just escaped from destruction; on one side lay the backdrop of trees, on the other the obliterated city.

Unaffected by the solemn mood, Dedede ran over the bridge, beckoning everyone forwards. The Smashers approached the bridge in their separate teams and crossed it silently. The stout bird stopped in the centre of the bridge to wait for Wolf who was, unsurprisingly, on his own.

"It's amazing that this shrine wasn't destroyed along with the city," he said, gazing up at the trees.

Dedede sighed and pulled at Wolf's jacket, dragging him to the shrine entrance. From the little gasps of Pichu and Pikachu to the 'aahs' of Ganondorf and Bowser, it was clear that the beauty of the gardens astounded them all. The giant pagoda-like structure marked the entrance, its huge grey roofs curving up to the cloudy sky. Together they walked under it and into the main grounds filled with large red lanterns and the trickle of water in the distance. It was deserted.

"Where exactly did the map tell us to go?" Mario asked.

"I have no idea," Wolf replied. "Utsunomiya was only highlighted as a main city, but this is it's main shrine, Futara-san. We need to split up. Everyone, get into pairs and search the area,"

The Wolf found himself smiling at his own words, however school-teacher-sounding they were. At last he was stating his position effectively. The other Smashers now fully understood his role and accepted it. Mario and Luigi ran off in the direction of the souvenir shop whilst Captain Falcon stayed close to Yoshi as he headed towards a miniature shrine. When all of the pairs had disappeared, Dedede grabbed Wolf's jacket again and dragged him into the main hall.

The stones clattered against their feet when they stepped onto the them, and this was replaced by the hollow clunk of ancient wood as they moved onto the steps. Tall scarlet pillars held the vast wooden beams of the ceiling, splashed with gold paint. Their eyes were filled with the endless mesmerising hallways overflowing with scarlet. In the background the murmuring of Smashers faded away until everything became still.

"This is boring," sighed Dedede. "Let's go back."

"Dedede," Wolf pulled him back, his eyes wide. "Don't move,"

Tensely he grabbed the back of Dedede's robe and dragged him into the shadows. They sat behind a stone lantern, Wolf's ears twitching.

"What is it?" whispered Dedede nervously.

"Listen," hissed Wolf. Closing his eyes, he let his hearing take over, listening to the sounds around him; the brushing of leaves against bark, the barely audible chatter of Smashers, perhaps even the long-forgotten chanting of ancient songs sung by priests floating upon the wind's breath. Dedede watched him, confused, for he could hear nothing. He patted Wolf on the shoulder but he wouldn't respond.

"I can't hear anything," said Dedede, creeping away. But Wolf saw him, and yanked him backwards. And then he heard it, the unfamiliar footsteps of a human. He sniffed the air, and his suspicion increased.

"He's behind us," he murmured, opening his eyes. The bird whipped his its head round, panicking, but Wolf grabbed him and held his beak. "Shut up!"

He cautiously peered around the corner and rose from his hiding place with Dedede under his arm. In the quiet rhythm of the footsteps was a stumble, possibly someone tripping, and revealing his exact position. Carefully Wolf placed Dedede back on the ground and took out his blaster. He caught Yoshi walking back towards him in the corner of his eye. Dedede also took out his giant mallet and rested it on his shoulder.

Like ghosts they glided through the hallway before them, a shadow flickering past now and then. The stumble occurred again, and Wolf sprinted ahead, the position of the now human located straight ahead. The sunlight dimmed, causing shadows to merge on the walls.

"There's no one there," said Dedede, towing his mallet behind him. "You're ears are too sensitive. It's probably just the-"

Suddenly, a darker shadow flew across the floor. This time a figure accompanied it, armed with a katana.

"Stop!" he yelled.

The blonde-haired youth approached them cautiously, eying Wolf's black weapon, then his face. As his eyes darted between the two Smashers, his muscles relaxed. "You're Smashers..."

"Er, yes," Wolf replied, his claws still firmly gripping his gun. Dedede anxiously shifted from one foot to the other, readying his mallet. "Who are you?"

The youth's jaw hung open as if he were in shock. Tentatively he stepped forward, his blade wavering above its golden sheath. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt and black hakama; his hair was unusually tidy against his smart warrior look.

"I'm Isamu," he replied, his eyes examining everything about the newcomers. He grimaced at the sharpness of Wolf's claws, his knees bent close to the ground as if he were about to leap up and attack him. However, he was reassured by the overall appearance of Dedede, for he certainly didn't look brave and he his stance didn't indicate any possibility of attack from him.

"Isamu, the Smashers and I have arrived to Japan in search of the superior Smashers. Do you know Yoshiki Inukai?" asked Wolf. He lowered his blaster, but still remained cautious.

"Oh, yes," Isamu replied. "As a matter of fact, I'm looking for him too."

"For what reason?"

"He's my boss,"

Wolf frowned. "You're boss? You're part of the SMASH! News team?"

"Yeah, well... What do you need find him for?" Isamu continued, sounding too casual about the situation.

"Apparently he took some of the Smashers, even killed one of them. We're trying to get the Smashers back and kill him before he kills us, basically."

"I see... Well, I might be able to help you. Have you crossed the bridge?"

"Yes," Wolf replied.

"Then follow me. There's something that we should discuss. Oh, and by the way, are you Wolf?" He heard Dedede cough loudly. "And that must be... Dedede?"

"_King_ Dedede!" the heavy bird exclaimed arrogantly.

"Er, yeah, I'm Wolf and this is Dedede. Dedede, try and search around here for that microchip, OK? I'll be on the bridge so if you find it then meet me there," said Wolf, walking back towards the entrance. Dedede rolled his eyes and folded his arms, sighing. "Fine, fine..."

_

* * *

_

We are still flying near to the coast, just passing over Iwaki. I feel relieved that not everywhere is destroyed. I look down and people are still there in the towns and cities, though things don't seem like they used to be. And I'm not surprised either, for the news of the destruction of major cities must have devastated its people.

_As for things on the Great Fox... Things are getting worse. Roy attacked us earlier and nearly killed us. We can't contact Wolf now since he's exploring the area around Utsunomiya, but I think he may have headed west towards Nikko and must have seen Utsunomiya's main shrine, Futara-san. I'm so glad that it still stands untouched from Yoshiki and the superior Smashers. I don't know how Japan will be able to repair itself after so much damage._

_Also, I think Falco's gone back into one of his bad moods again. He won't speak to me much anymore, and even when I talk to him he never seems to listen. He doesn't understand what I'm trying to say, even though I can't say it. Even body language does nothing. How can he be so oblivious? It makes me angry just thinking about it. With Koji it was always so much easier; just a smile could tell him a thousand words and when he smiled at me I would understand what he was 'saying'. But even when I think about Koji I can't really remember much about him. Although his charisma is unforgettable, his actual appearance, his face, his smile... I still love him, but since I haven't seen him for so long, and the fact that I may not be able to see him again... He may not even be a superior Smasher at all. That's why it's so difficult to deal with these feelings. Already Metaknight is suspicious of Falco and I, but what is more worrying is that Falco has no idea. Maybe one day I'll tell him... I will tell him and _everyone_ the truth..._

* * *

On one side lay devastation, on the other lay peace. They stood on the boundary between it, a single bridge spanning a sapphires river. Whilst one gazed out what remained of tranquillity, the other looked over the remains of Utsunomiya in the distance, creeping close to Nikko but never quite reaching it. Wolf, somewhat inspired by Dedede's optimistic words, leaned over the edge of the bridge at the view of the woodland of Nikko. As for Isamu, he was neither inspired nor optimistic about anything, and chose to stare expressionlessly at the ruins of the city.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" Wolf said sadly. "Now what was it that you wanted to discuss?"

The teen turned round slowly, placing a hand on the bridge. "It's about these superior Smashers. What do you know about them?"

"Well, you've been working for Inukai, so I assumed you would know already," Wolf replied. "But what I know is that some Smashers were taken by Yoshiki and changed into superior Smashers. I don't know how he does it, but he's after the rest of us, and I think he's after Ai, too,"

"Wait! Hold on... Ai? Ai Hoshino?" Isamu exclaimed. "What do you know about _her_? I've heard of her in newspapers, but... Tell me! Where is she? Do you know where she is?"

Wolf laughed, raising an eyebrow at the excited youth. "Well, yeah, but are you her brother or something?"

"No, of course not," Isamu said impatiently. "I, er... used to work with her! Yes!"

At that moment, Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Diddy King appeared from behind the trees. Not wanting to interfere, the sat near the bridge and chatted amongst themselves.

"There are more Smashers?" Isamu questioned Wolf, his voice sounding desperate. "Tell me how many more there are!"

"Now hold on a second!" Wolf shouted, patting Isamu lightly. "Why are you asking so many questions? Are you part of the paparazzi or something? Look, I've only just become a Smasher so I'm just as confused as you!"

Isamu shot him an irritated look and pushed his hands through his hair, sweat flowing down his face. "_I should just get this over with..._"

Furiously Isamu walked away, briefly glancing back at the bewildered wolf. They had caught the attention of the Smashers who had ended their conversation to watch them. Wolf followed Isamu, sensing something unusual about his change in tone. Together they stopped at the opposite end of the bridge, the youth with his back to the wolf.

"Isamu, you'd better tell me what's going on," Wolf demanded, his claws hovering edgily over the holster on his belt. "You're hiding something from me. I don't know who you are or what you're doing here but you're a SMASH! News worker, and to me that means trouble. Well, Ai's a SMASH! News worker and she was quite nice so-"

"OK, you want to know why I'm asking you this?" Isamu asked, placing his hands on his hips. He left his question suspended upon the evening breeze. A few seconds passed and Wolf's tolerance had reached its limit. Just as he was about to interrogate him further, the hiss of metal upon sheath and a flash of silver tore through the air, slicing into his stomach. Letting out a deep yell, Wolf lurched backwards, dropping his weapon as his body sank to the floor.

"That's why," Isamu jeered, casually taking a few steps around the injured wolf. "I was asked to kill all Smashers. Those were my orders."

Baring his teeth, Wolf slowly got to his feet. An excruciating pain seared his skin like hot coals, leaving him unable to stand at full height. The young warrior noticed this and looked down upon him bearing a conceited expression. By now the Smashers who were watching had gathered in the centre of the bridge, staring horrified at their wounded leader.

"Thank you for giving me that information," Isamu continued. "I may be outnumbered but if its true that you're not superior then I won't have a problem in dealing with you."

"What exactly are you going to do with us?" Wolf growled furiously.

"In order to become superior, as Shimokawa-san told me, Smashers must be killed then superior Smash data is transferred to the body. It's a simple process really, and believe me, you won't regret joining Inukai-san..."

Before Wolf could protest, Isamu's hand aggressively grabbed the back of his head and rammed him into the side of the bridge. With the blade poised just above the wolf's neck, the warrior glanced at the terrified Smashers cautiously moving towards them. Diddy Kong rushed forward, grabbing Wolf's blaster off the floor. Desperately Wolf kicked back at Isamu, but it only knocked him sideways. With the blade glistening red with blood, it plunged down onto its victim like a guillotine, but before it could deliver its fatal blow Isamu yelled in shock as something leapt onto his face.

"Come on, guys! Help me out here!" Diddy cried out. His small furry hands grasped onto Isamu's hair and he yanked him back as if controlling a wild horse. Yoshi sent out a barrage of his green-spotted eggs and the Mario Bros. jumped into the air and crashed down upon Isamu and the ape. Quickly Diddy threw the blaster back to Wolf who didn't hesitate in firing at his enemy. The rapid blaster shots hit Isamu in the shoulder, but the wolf couldn't get too close since his comrades were in the way.

"Hey, Wolf! I've found it!" a familiar voice called out. Dedede sprinted into the fray waving his arms madly. In one hand he held the microchip. Gradually more and more Smashers joined him at the edge of the bridge, many of them helping the others to attack Isamu.

However, when Dedede reached Wolf his face contorted into one of horror as he looked down upon the injured creature. "Wolf, what's goin' on?"

"Just get everyone back to the ship," said Wolf through clenched teeth. Dedede grabbed his blood-stained hand and helped him to stand.

"Get back to the ship!" Dedede commanded.

Reluctant to leave the battle unfinished, the Smashers close to Isamu continued their attack for a few more seconds before leaving the battered youth on the floor. Isamu ignored the pain and clutched the side of the bridge, using it to support him.

"Hurry up!" Dedede shouted. "He'll be after us any minute!"

And he was right. Undiscouraged by his injuries, the blonde-haired warrior charged towards the Wolfen, katana drawn. Frantically Dedede pushed Wolf onto the ship and heaved him onto his chair in the cockpit. The Smasher piled into the main room, breathless, shaken. Taking no notice of Wolf's objection, Dedede hopped onto the chair beside him and started the engine. Their adrenaline soared as a hand flew upwards and crashed heavily onto the window.

"Go!" yelled Wolf.

"I think it's this one..."

Dedede's hand paused over a red switch, but Wolf was having not of it. He lunged forward and pressed down upon his hand, activating the ship's engine and thrusting them upward with tremendous force, releasing Isamu's grip and the painful suspense.

Sighs of relief floated through the Wolfen. Breathing slowed to a relaxed tempo, eventually replaced by exhausted chatter. Wolf lay back and examined his wound, a single vertical slash from his chest to his stomach.

"You should get that sorted out," said Dedede.

"Do I look like a paramedic?" Wolf snapped angrily. "Aren't there any Smashers that can help?"

"Hmm, maybe Mario can help. He has this alter ego called Dr Mario but I don't think he came with us. Still, it's worth a try."

"You're not concerned at all!" Wolf growled, holding his chest.

"Ah! Wolf!"

Suddenly Mario ran through the door, his face as red as his shirt.

"Mario! We've just been talking about you," said Dedede, he eyes still firmly fixed upon the controls. "Could you help Wolf out a second?"

"Oh, Wolf, I was going to ask you something," the plumber said worriedly. "Have you seen Luigi?"

"...No," Wolf retorted. "Look, can you help me out here, please?"

"Whoah, wait a minute!" exclaimed Dedede. "I didn't see him either. I checked that everyone was getting on the ship..."

Mario's face drained of colour as Dedede turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I think... He may have been caught..."

Mario stared down at the floor, unable to accept those words. His throat ached as he tried express his emotion through words, but nothing came out except a stifled 'oh'. Condolence lay at the back of wolf's mind no matter how hard he tried to comfort the sorrowful plumber. Instead he closed his eyes and reclined on his chair with his physical pain as the emotional part left the room.

"Finally, you're back!" Falco's voice rang through the intercom. "What happened? You were gone two hours!"

"Oh, well, we had a bit of a problem," sighed Dedede. "There was this SMASH! News guy down there that tried to kill us and he's taken Luigi."

"SMASH! News?" Ai interrupted them. "Who was he called?

"Isamu," Dedede replied. "He said that he used to work with you.

The group fell quiet. "I don't know anyone called Isamu..." she said, confused.

"It's obvious that he lied then," added Falco. "How's Wolf, then?"

"Moody, as usual," Dedede said with a chuckle.

"It isn't funny Dedede!" Wolf shouted irritably. "I'm in pain you idiot!"

"What ha-?"

"It's a long story," Dedede said firmly. "Oh, and could you do us a favour? If you're heading towards... Oh, what's its name? Oh yeah, Fukushima, then could you look around the temples and shrines to find out if there's a microchip there? I found one in the shrine in Nikko."

"Of course!" Ai said kindly. "And Wolf, I hope you get well soon!"

Those sweet words had healed part of him already. "Thanks Ai,"

"We'll contact you later," Falco told them. "And yeah, Wolf, make sure you don't die or anything,"

"Thanks a lot, Falco," Wolf sighed sarcastically.

The intercom screen went blank again and was replaced by the map of Japan. Dedede tapped his feet on the chair as he pondered the next location.

"What do you think?" he wondered aloud. "Niigata or Yamagata?"

"I really don't care right now!" Wolf roared, stunned by how oblivious the bird was of his pain.

"... Yeah, I think we'll go to Niigata."

* * *

**No! Luigi! Oh yeah, I got rid of him. In the next chapter we'll be seeing more of Falco's team as they arrive in Fukushima, and Metaknight continues to spy on Falco and Ai. Please tell me if there is any way I can improve this story! I appreciate all of your reviews so far I would like to know what you like and what I could do to make it better.**

**See ya in the next chapter!**


	11. The Skirmish of Tsuruga

**Kyoko: It's chapter 11! And its the longest chapter yet! It took a while to write, but its full of amazing plot twists and the beginning of a fight scene. It's time for a summary!**

**Luigi: OK, so Falco's team arrive in Fukushima and arrive at what they hope is the area in which the microcip can be found. They still have no idea what they're for! Later Wolf makes a huge mistake when Dedede tries to cheer him up at the wrong time. Plus, has Roy finally become captured by the world of the superior Smashers? Read and find out! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all currend and old SMASH! News team members.**

_

* * *

I think Fukushima is only an hour away, and what a relief that it won't take longer. I've just spent the night in the main room with the other Smashers apart from Roy and Marth, who joined Falco. The three of them claimed that it was best that if Roy should attack then Marth and Falco could deal with him quickly, however harsh the decision. I couldn't say no, although I wanted to. I feel as though I need a bigger part in this mission, it feels as though I have no rank. As soon as I left the safety of my office back in Inukai Mansion I understood that my high rank as filming coordinator was over, ruined. And now I feel I'm back where I started again, back at the lowest rung of the ladder._

_However, on a happier note, Pit has become calmer, and to talk to him is usually better conversation than any of the others. Ha, and I can understand why. I know why I get these strange looks, frowns, suspicious glares. Instead of normal conversations, they often ask questions, subtle hints about my relationships, especially from Metaknight. But he doesn't need to play the fool like that anymore; he knows exactly what's going on. It's nothing to do with him at all. This is my life and I will do what I like._

_Well, I tried to end on a happier note and failed. The overall outlook of this mission appears bleak for all of us. I try not to think of myself all the time; I think that's something I should change._

_Marth and Roy returned a few minutes ago. I couldn't bear to look at Roy's face for the description of him was enough to shock anyone. Apparently, though unsurprisingly, his condition has worsened again, and now his face is now obtaining armour. Apart from the occasional twitch of his feet and hands, I also enjoy talking to him, although Marth often objects to it. It's like talking to some of the other Smashers here; he can barely force himself to look at me and will say very little._

_I will write more when I land in Fukushima, so until then I'll stay in the main room chatting, eating junk food (again) and sleeping (again)..._

* * *

A disgruntled Dedede flopped onto his belly, landing on one of the soft silk cushions piled around his feet. Declaring that a king needed extra luxuries on such important trips he had hoarded practically all of the cushions to himself. This only caused much rioting amongst the Smashers in the main room. Bowser had become so annoyed that he had charged into the wall with as much vigour as a rampaging bull and caused a large depression in the wall. A certain wolf was also depressed by this uproar.

"Can you kids shut up back there?!" Wolf yelled, temporarily distracted from his driving by a sudden loud thud in the room behind him. Sustaining his gaze, he looked down at the plump red bird with a scowl then whipped his head back round. So much for Dedede apparently helping him. With an agonizing night of horrendous so-called bandaging completed by none other than the conceited bird, he felt as though his spirits could sink no lower. He pondered with a murderous grin of getting rid of Dedede, but the idea eventually dissolved and was replaced with more important matters and he knew he could never stoop to that level.

"Tell them to be quiet," Dedede yawned, his eyes shining in a sleepy dog-like way. "I'm trying to get some sleep."

"Dedede, you've been asleep for the past ten hours. Get off your backside and do something useful like, oh, I don't know, leaving me alone!" Then again it was pointless in getting the bird to do anything practical when their destination was only a few miles away. Relief washed over the lupine like a refreshing breeze, generating thoughts of the serene Japanese coasts and a certain silver aircraft resembling a silver seagull gliding overhead. Jealousy engulfed the relief as soon as that came to mind, for he was, once again, stuck over the dull ruins and half-ruined cities. And Dedede was telling him to be optimistic!

"Finally," a certain plump bird sighed, pressing his yellow hands against the glass. "Hey, do ya mind if get something to eat down there?"

"Get something from the food boxes," retorted Wolf, jabbing a finger at the boxes next to him.

"They're empty!" said Dedede. "You've eaten everything!"

"Correction: _You've_ eaten everything," Wolf growled, fury burning in his chest. This only added to the physical pain of his injuries. "Why don't you go in the main room and stop bothering me? I have enough to worry about right now, including your shoddy first aid skills!"

Before Dedede could argue, the wolf shoved a hand in front of his face. "Don't say another word."

Once more the wolf inhaled and held his breath for a while, resisting the urge to pummel the bird to satisfy his raging anger. The amount of times he had exhaled slowly to calm himself throughout their trip would have, if combined, been enough to cause a whirlwind. Even the smallest measurement of cooperation would have sufficed, even if was from one of the other Smashers who were oblivious to the seriousness of the matter. It was surprising also that Dedede couldn't be bothered to walk over and take over with the controls yet he could lift such a heavy mallet at the mention of battle.

Nevertheless, there was no point in discussing his laziness as the eastern city of Niigata rose from the horizon, as magnificent and prosperous as any other Japanese city, complete with untroubled citizens and undamaged buildings. Relief fluttered through the chest of the wolf.

"We're here..." he breathed, his eyes fixed upon the thousands of people below. "And this place isn't destroyed!"

"Is that an optimistic comment I hear, Wolf?" said Dedede with false interest. "At last..."

Wolf barely heard him for he was captivated by the untouched perfection of everything, but he couldn't let Dedede get away with his sarcastic remarks.

"If you don't shut up," he growled, playfully embedding his claws into Dedede's cloak and dragging him closer. "You will have a _very _unoptimistic fist in your face!"

Dedede cheekily stuck out his tongue and lightly tapped the end of his claws with his hammer. Just as the lupine clenched his hand into a fist, Dedede's head turned and caught a sight that made his spirits sink like a stone. "Speaking of unoptimistic..."

With a trembling finger he pointed beyond what appeared be a harmless backdrop of skyscrapers, but upon further examination turned out to be far from normal. On the other side of the city nothing was in one piece. Everything from the buildings to the roads were crumpled, twisted and stacked along the western side of the city. Even the narrow bridges spanning the broad river had been distorted, stripped of paint and left to rust in its waters. The fist unfurled, the other hand releasing the stunned Dedede. The ship decelerated, everything decelerated, even the intake of breath ceased, and with one vicious blow Wolf's claws slammed into the control panel, his head falling onto his knees.

"I can't believe this..." he said. The emotion burned through his chest, threatening to overflow as if it were an incensed volcano. Dedede merely watched the wolf, losing the last ounce of his contempt. Afraid to say or do anything, he jumped onto the chair next to him and gently pushed one of his claws aside to control the ship, but received a fierce blow to the face.

"W-WHAT?! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!" the bird yelled, reeling back as pain exploded through his face. Even Wolf looked surprised of his own actions as he lifted his head.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or a-"

Furiously Dedede leaped upwards clamped Wolf's mouth shut with his hands. The wolf released a growl as he bit his tongue, then became silent as he stared at Dedede's face, the four long slashes that had formed, blood flowing down his blue face.

"Shut up, Wolf!" he yelled into his ear. "OK, sure, I may not be the most cooperative person in the world, but did you really have to do that?! All I _ever_ hear from you is 'Dedede, shut up!' or 'Dedede, get your ass over here and help me!' and you know what? I'm sick of it! And yes, I know I'm annoying sometimes but I'm trying to bring out the happier side of you in these terrible times. Man, there was no need for anyof this to happen, and believe me, I may not look like a fighter but I _will_ fight back if I have to."

Slowly Dedede's grip loosed and was greeted with another long, low growl.

"Don't try and challenge me, I don't want to hurt you again," Wolf warned. "Get away from me, go in the main room. We'll talk about this later."

"Talk? _Talk_? No, I'm not talking to you." Dedede spat. "Just stay away from me, OK?"

With a tearful nod, Dedede rushed into the main room. Wolf could hear the shocked gasps and chatter among the Smashers as he entered. The volcano was doused with immeasurable sorrow.

* * *

With infectious smiles they disembarked, a girl clasping onto an angel's arm as they leapt from the aircraft and rolled onto the lush grass together. Even Marth couldn't maintain his sombre mood when he saw the two of the giggling like children as they tumbled and lay on their backs looking up at the pure blue sky. Their leader, however, was less accepting of their childish behaviour.

"What are you doing?" exclaimed Falco as he walked out of the Great Fox. Ai sat at the top of a cherry blossom tree with Pit swerving around it erratically and carrying her off, bursts of pale pink petals floating to the ground as they landed in front of the bird. They were too exhausted to speak.

"Ai, where are we going exactly? You know this area better than any of us," said Metaknight, brushing the petals off his cloak.

Ai, still struggling to suppress her laughter, clung onto Pit's arm who was laughing just as much. "Oh! Well, I...I don't know much about the area and there are not that many shrines, certainly not a main one. I suggest we should go look at the main attractions!"

"Where are we anyway?" asked Snake. "We _are_ in Fukushima aren't we?"

"Yes, the prefecture," Ai replied, calming down. "We're in Aizuwakamatsu, one of its cities. Anyway, we should keep moving and find that microchip."

Snake glanced down at Metaknight who shrugged, his eyes narrowing behind his silver mask. Marth and Roy eagerly walked behind Ai as she headed towards the main streets with Pit. Ever since Ai had discovered that at least one city was still intact her exhilaration had soared beyond the sky, showering everyone around her with her smiles. As Pit and his friend ran ahead -catching many stares from the citizens- the childish side of Ai burst from her, reminding the rest of the team, especially Falco, that she was still only a young girl despite her usually mature approach to the mission.

Metaknight caught up with them and perched himself on Pit's shoulder as he ran. "So do you know any tourist attractions around here?"

Ai's smile dimmed. "Yes," she said, not looking at him. Eventually, the team slowed down as they reached the end of the street. Pit looked back, amazed by the colour of the cherry blossoms against the darker city surroundings as he flapped his wings and sent the petals floating upwards.

"I think the castle is the best place," Ai said with a smile as the other Smashers caught up with her.

"Castle?" Snake repeated.

"Yes, Tsuruga Castle is just ahead. Apparently it's very popular,"

"Er...Ai?" Falco tapped her shoulder and nodded towards the crowds of people gathering behind them. A little girl with a camera skipped up them and took a picture before running away, giggling. Several more people armed with cameras edged forward chattering excitedly. "We're attracting too much attention."

"Oh, right," she sighed. "Well, like I said, the castle's just up ahead so let's go before too many people see us."

Just then, the little girl who had taken their photograph ran up to them again with a notebook and pen.

"You're Ai!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "Could I have an autograph? Please?"

The team looked at her. Surprised, Ai took the pen and wrote her signature then handed it back to the girl.

"Looks like a lot of people recognise you from TV!" said Marth, chuckling.

"But I... I've not appeared on TV for ages!" Ai stammered. Then, just as they were about to leave, the girl tugged at Marth's cape.

"And I've seen you somewhere," she said, a thoughtful look shining in her brown eyes. "You're Marth, right? Could you sign too?"

Nervously Marth agreed and signed his name on the paper next to Ai's. Falco impatiently ushered them forward through the next street, still checking behind him for the crowds. Unsurprisingly they were still following them, but a larger crowd had formed, running towards them like charging bulls.

"Oh great!" Snake shouted. "Hold on, I've got an idea,"

"I hope this doesn't involve killing them!" retorted Falco. He had noticed Ai's apprehension.

"Look, it's not. Just follow me up that hill."

Obediently his comrades followed, the animated voices growing louder, the flashes of cameras becoming more frequent. At the top of the steep hill Snake gestured for them to hide in the shady undergrowth of the woodland behind him whilst he looked through the assortment of weapons in his pockets. A few seconds later the mercenary pulled out a small round ball and crept back. The heads of the people were visible as they approached and, with one swift jerk of his wrist, the ball flew towards them and broke open. Shouts of fear filled the air as plumes of grey smoke billowed from the white ball and surrounded the crowd like fog.

"A smoke bomb?" said Falco. "Great, now come on!"

"Are you sure no one's hurt?" Ai asked him nervously.

"I'm sure, Ai, now move!"

Pit, who had already flown further ahead, swerved round and grabbed Ai as the smoke began to clear. The shouts died away as they sprinted up the gentler slopes. The cooler, shaded route lead them further upwards, the remains of cherry blossom flowers trampled into the dirt as the pink spectacle was replaced by huge green trees. Exhausted, Pit placed Ai on the floor and stretched his wings, descending. Marth and Roy arrived last, with the red-haired swordsman lumbering awkwardly behind him. A relieved Ai sank onto her knees.

"We're here," she gasped. "Look, this is it!"

Pit hurriedly grabbed her arm and pulled her onto her feet. She gazed in awe, the last of her fatigue draining away as a new, keener sense of excitement flowed through her. "Yes, this is it!"

Linking arms with the young angel she dragged him past the entrance and towards the enormous white fortress bordered by ancient stone walls and a river. Aware that Ai was likely to wander whilst accompanied by Pit, Falco ran up to them and stopped them.

"Wait a second, Ai! Do you know where you're going?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Everyone come here,"

Metaknight balanced on Marth's shoulder as he examined the castle with interest. Pit and the four other Smashers gathered around Falco.

"Listen, we can't take your approach, Ai. We can't just start wandering around in case someone sees us. Marth, Roy, you'll be staying together and monitoring the castle grounds. Metaknight, Snake, Pit and Ai, you will go together and check out the first few floors and I will look around the top floor. Everyone agree with that?"

All heads nodded. Ai watched Snake, Metaknight and Pit join together, and sighed.

_I couldn't let such an opportunity escape! I could see those expressions again, those glares, those comments... I wouldn't have been able to cope with it, and if Pit found out it would only make matters worse. When the other Smashers had gone I knew that I had to say something..._

"Falco..." Her voice was unusually quiet. Only a few seconds ago she had been brimming with cheerfulness. The bird turned around to face her.

"What?"

"Well... I was just wondering..." In the distance she caught the watchful eyes of a masked swordsman. She ignored him and glanced round just in case anyone else was listening. "I was wondering if it would be better if I joined you."

Falco raised an eyebrow. Ai waited in suspense, smiling as innocently as possible. "Disobeying orders, eh?"

"Oh! No, of course n-"

"Only joking! Yeah, I thought you'd want to join me..."

* * *

The demands for explanations came thick and fast, some timid, some huge outbursts and some messages passed on from other Smashers. He was dealing with a mutinous crew. They surrounded him, peered over his shoulder as he guided the Wolfen through Niigata prefecture, firing questions, desperate for answers. How was he supposed to know what everyone's reaction would be to Dedede's injuries? The ship plummeted abruptly, throwing everyone against the window. The room erupted with curses, mainly from Ganondorf.

"What the hell?! Wolf, are you trying to kill everyone?" he yelled furiously.

"Yeah, is it not just King Dedede who you're trying to get rid of?" Bowser roared, almost stabbing Wolf with his horns as he fell against his chair. The Wolfen rocked dangerously as the beast lumbered into the steel walls.

"_King_ Dedede?" Wolf muttered to himself.

"So, yeah, where are you taking us?" C. Falcon sneered, leaning on the controls. "Or is this another plan to kill us all?"

"WHAT? No! Look, I didn't mean to hurt Dedede; I was just... frustrated, OK? And I didn't think that you lot would get all evil!"

"You know what this means?" Wario rose from the shadows with a malicious grin, a gun in his hand. C. Falcon snatched it back. Not only did he steal food, weapons also appealed to his murderous appetite.

"Wario, do you even know what he's done?" Bowser laughed as he moved closer to the wolf. Wolf desperately tried to land; the ground always seemed to be beyond reach every time he looked down.

"No, but I just wanna beat someone up," Wario replied.

"He's wounded one of us! One of the Smashers! And _he_, that so-called Smasher, calls himself one of us!"

The room was filled with cheers. Apart from a few objections the whole team was against their leader. Mario huddled next to Diddy Kong and Yoshi in the far corner of the cockpit, unable to comprehend the reason behind the idea of betrayal to their leader.

"Just postpone my death a little longer until I land," Wolf said with a nervous laugh. To be honest he was truly terrified by the sudden change of tone amongst his crew members. His hands shook as he directed his aircraft towards the ground. He reached out to turn on the intercom but something had grabbed his wrist and twisted it backwards.

"Falcon! Guide us towards that lake down there!" Bowser ordered, wrenching a fearful Wolf from his chair. His other claw was ripped from the chair as the F-Zero racer lunged onto the seat. A weary Dedede, awoken from his nap by the upheaval, plodded into the room to witness the scene. He, however, was not expecting to wake up to such a horrifying sight.

"Ah, King Dedede, you've woken up just in time!" said Donkey Kong, his eyes glimmering with exhilaration.

"What's going on?" Dedede asked, scratching his head. The bird caught the Wolf's eyes bursting with venom and murder returned in his gaze. Bowser turned his head and beamed, baring two rows of shining white teeth.

"King Dedede, we cannot stand another death of a friend, but we can tolerate the death of this Smasher!" Bowser jabbed a clawed finger into Wolf's shoulder. "You will become our leader, King Dedede!"

"Me? A leader? W-wait, what are going to do with Wolf?" Dedede stammered.

"We also cannot stand any harming of a Smasher, especially a member of a royal family!" Bowser added. "And yes, we shall get rid of this wolf. You shall control this ship."

Dedede's eyes darted to each of the Smashers, all of them ecstatic and joining in with shouts of fury and agreement. Finally his eyes rested on Wolf again who was still glaring at him.

"But what are you going to do to him?" said Dedede. His eyes the fell upon the gun in C. Falcon's hand. "No, you're not going to..."

"No, no! We've got something far more entertaining lined up for you!" exclaimed C. Falcon, tucking the gun into his pocket. "We'll literally be throwing him off the ship,"

The room fell quiet as they waited for Dedede's reaction. The bird was confused, still wandering in a dream-like state, or so he hoped he was. Wolf seized the opportunity to shout what he thought was his last words.

"Dedede you bast-"

With a grip like a vice, two strong claws clamped down upon his mouth with tremendous strength. His teeth clashed together as Bowser held them down with all his power; he couldn't even release a small growl.

"How dare you insult our leader!" Bowser roared, almost mockingly. Without words the wolf could communicate his point perfectly with his eyes; they were filled with a desire to release his jaws and plunge them into the beast's neck.

"But I never planned this!" Dedede said desperately. "I know I said that I didn't want to speak to him, but I never want him dead!"

Nevertheless, the plump bird 'king' felt at least some satisfaction as Wolf was pushed against the door. It was outrageous that he should feel such sympathy yet such enthusiasm to kill one of his friends.

As C. Falcon continued to drive the ship towards the ground, Ganondorf heaved open the door. A gust of wind entered the Wolfen, causing it to sway. As soon as it was balanced, Bowser lifted the wolf by the back the back of his jacket. About half a mile below a dark blue lake lay beneath him.

"Stop!" yelled Dedede, rushing next to Bowser and looking down over the edge of the ship. He reached out his hand. "Come on, Wolf, grab my hand! I'm sorry!"

Instantly his hand whipped back as warm blood trickled down his hand, now burning with pain. The second that this happened, Bowser released his grip on Wolf, and he plummeted head-first towards the lake.

"Wolf!" Dedede cried, clutching his bleeding hand. He had no time to watch him fall, for he was dragged away from the edge and caught in the triumphant embraces of overjoyed team of Smashers. "I didn't want this to happen..."

* * *

_We looked down upon the castle grounds, immense and filled with pine trees. I was expecting a lot of visitors here at this time of year, but there was no one there, just Falco and I... oh, and the other Smashers of course. I looked down and saw Marth and Roy searching the bushes and peering into the tourist information office. I saw Roy become seized by a terrible pain again after a few minutes. Marth seemed overwhelmed with panic, fearing that this may be the time in which Roy will change completely. I turned away, unable to face any more._

_Whilst I continued to look for some sort of microchip, I occasionally took in the breathtaking panoramic views. Beyond the city lay Mt Bandai, grey and topped with a little snow. I couldn't stop for long, for Falco would often tell me to stop daydreaming and keep moving. It was easy to speak with the Smashers on the floor below too; there was an opening in the __centre__ of the room in which you could look down. I almost died of shock when Pit flew up through it as I was looking down! I kind of wished that he could stay with us. He could have easily brightened up Falco's mood with that smile of his! Then again, I understand that he only wants to achieve what Fox had done, and the only way to do that is to be strict with us._

_I've already mentioned that the place was deserted apart from us, but it was unusual. Very unusual. There wasn't even anyone in the gift shop or museum. After about half an hour even the chatter of the team on the floors below became silent, and only the voice of the wind could be heard. We ignored it, and we were foolish to have considered it normal; for the first time in two hundred years, the castle had found itself under siege, and without Roy's keen eyesight I would not be writing this now._

Gradually the agonizing torture ended. The swordsman had been unaware of most of it, and now, as the last of his unconsciousness faded, he saw how his actions had inflicted terror into heart of his comrade. The sky above had become overcast and a threatening shade of black, a worrying change of colour compared to the brilliant sky an hour ago. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Marth hastily yet gently held Roy in a sitting position.

"Roy, are you alright?" he asked, his voice shaking. "I thought you were... I thought this was the end of the Roy I once knew..."

"N-no way!" Roy coughed. "I'm n-not letting anything c-change me!" Marth smiled at his efforts to be strong, but they both knew that one day it would happen. One day when Marth's back was turned the final transformation would occur.

The two swordsmen stood and scanned the area. Strange shadows of what looked like figures stood in the place of the elegant tree shadows. The aura had definitely changed but the source of such a change was unknown to both of them.

"It's near here," Roy said quietly. Instinctively his moved his hand over his empty sheath and grasped the air. He sighed in frustration. Marth held out his sword in both hands but Roy declined the offer. "No, I shouldn't."

His face was expressionless, his eyes filled with deep consideration that his friend could not understand. Unknown to Marth there was an advantage in having Roy as a superior team member. With his improved senses even the smallest vibration on the air could be detected.

"It's on the turret," he murmured softly. "There are two of them,"

"Two of what?" said Marth, fearful eyes staring up at the vast castle structure. The rushed movements of the Smashers on the second floor flashed past the windows like ghosts. His eyes moved upwards, watching the same place as Roy. The two things that Roy had been talking about appeared to be two statues on the top of the castle.

"Don't be alarmed, Marth," he said, his voice trembling. "But those are not statues. Those... Those are..."

"Roy?"

"They are the superior Smashers that landed on our ship before."

As that sentence ended two opaque figures shifted slightly, turning their heads. Marth stood back, his own sword now drawn.

"H-how do we alert the others?" said Marth. Roy, however, was already sprinting up the stone steps. With a great leap the swordsman jumped onto the nearest grey roof and clambered onto it. Two heads turned simultaneously, two pairs of yellow eyes fixed upon him.

"What are you doing?" Marth hissed. "We can't attract attention from them!"

That was when it finally hit him. This was what Roy wanted. His resistance against the change had become exhausted, and in the end there was no point in fighting it anymore. Roy didn't reply, completely controlled by a superior mind.

"I don't want to do this on my own!" he yelled, throwing Roy's sword to the ground. His hands shook in anger. "You said you would let nothing change you!"

Silently the first drops of rain fell to the ground, drenching the men in seconds. If he was to carry on without Roy, Marth knew he should accept the change maturely, yet how could this happen when the voice of a child controlled his voice?

"What's going on down there? Is that... Roy on the roof?" a girl's voice called from the top of the castle. Ai walked out onto the red-fenced viewing area and stood there in the rain, soon accompanied by Falco.

"What's all the shouting about?" he yelled.

"I found it first!" another voice with a childish tone rang through the air.

"Pit, give that here now!"

"Ai, Falco, get out of there now!" Marth called, his voice straining to be quiet yet strong at the same time. "The superior Smashers are on the roof!"

"What? Supe-"

With a brisk nod, Falco hurriedly dragged Ai away from the platform. Prepared with the knowledge that Pit and Snake had obviously found the microchip, Marth ran through the castle grounds and into the main hall of Tsuruga Castle, his eyes constantly darting from the ceiling to the stairs.

Pit was first to descend, his wings almost a blur as he charged through the hall and crashed into a wall.

"Marth! I've got it!" he cheered, holding up a black object.

"Pit, keep your voice down! Where's Metaknight?"

"Oh..."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?"

"Well I... I saw this big grey dinosaur thing and it kinda tried to kill me so I ran away so... Metaknight's killing it for me!" It wasn't the actual meaning of the sentence that infuriated Marth at that moment, it was the odd satisfied tone in which he spoke it. The angel noticed his glare and shuffled back nervously.

"Thanks for the news," Marth growled. "Now come on, it's impossible to kill a superior Smasher. Metaknight has no chance of winning!"

Footsteps thumped louder upon the wooden steps followed by another Smasher, this time it was Snake.

"Why are you standing around like that?!" he demanded, crouching down and examining his assortment of weapons. "Give the microchip to me, Pit!"

Without objection the angel swiftly placed it in his hand. After sealing his large bag of weaponry Snake ran out of the door. He paused and stared at Marth and Pit.

"Er, where are you going?" Marth asked worriedly.

"You idiot! I'm going to activate the microchip!" Snake shouted, his face burning. "Go and save Ai!"

"Ai? First it's Metaknight and now it's Ai?"

Snake impatiently threw down his bag and glowered at them with dark eyes. "You don't know that Ai's just been taken?!"

A short yet heart-rending scream tore through the stronghold like a knife. Pit almost broke into sobs as the echo died. Tugging the angel's wing, Marth opened his mouth to reply but found his feet pounding the ground as he ran up the steps before he could say anything more.

* * *

**What gonna happen to Ai?! The plot about Wolf being thrown off his own ship came as I was about to write the next paragraph, but originally I was going to write something about them landing in Niigata and exploring one of the shrines or temples there. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! In chapter 12 Dedede's new crew arrive somewhere in Niigata but end up meeting another foe! And what about Ai? Will she be saved before she becomes a superior Smasher? Oh yeah, and what happens to Wolf?**

**Thanks for everyone who has reviewed so far! Please review!**


	12. Invisible Tears

**Kyoko: Oh my goodness how long has it been since I last posted a chapter?! I've been so busy... and I have exams tomorrow! O.O But now it's here and its time to continue the story, so... summary, please!**

**Mario: In the last chapter Ai was captured... but will she be saved? And Wolf manages to contact the Great Fox somehow. And as for Dedede, well... let's just say its a nightmare on that Wolfen! JapanFan Kyoko does not own any SSB characters but she does own all current and old SMASH! News team workers.**

* * *

An icy grip rooted her to the floor, seizing her shoulders and bending her backwards. A lizard-like animal with a thick metal tail was the captor, drumming its jagged claws along her arms as two blue eyes fell upon them with disbelief. Pit's wings drooped as grief plagued his fragile form and pulled him to the floor. Almost as pitiful as the sight before him, the angel curled into a ball and sobbed, peering from behind his eyes at Ai.

"Come on, Pit," Marth said, his eyes fixed upon the creature's armoured face. It bore a long snout and two pointed ears flattened onto its head which flickered at the sound of Pit's sorrowful crying. Just ahead in the torrential downpour another creature bent down onto its hind legs and snarled down into the sodden gardens at a black figure scuttling across it like an ant. Its growl echoed the thunder in the skies and, like the lightning, it crashed down from the castle.

Despite Snake's explanation, Metaknight was nowhere to be seen. It took about a minute for the blue-haired warrior to recognize the half terrified, half incensed outline of Falco with his back pressed against the wall of the building, his blaster in his hand. He said nothing, merely inching forward at a snail's pace, his eyes wide and drained of life. Ai waited, forcing her shaking body to calm itself, repressing the agonizing burn of tears swelling in her chest. Silently she told herself to wait patiently. "They would never abandon me, would they?" she thought, closing her eyes.

Before another breath was drawn Marth lunged forward, his blade dancing in silver waves across in the darkness, and thrust it into the shoulder of the animal, just behind Ai's head. With an almost inaudible click of his tongue he retreated back, his pale face flushing a deep red of embarrassment.

"Do something!" Marth yelled as the creature stared up at the ceiling with a smug expression. "F-Falco, what are you doing?!"

But their leader struggled to express his words. If spoken he felt they would become meaningless, it was better that nothing was said at all. To tell the truth, he was submerged in horror.

"I can't," he murmured. "There isn't anything we can do. You've seen it, Marth, you've seen what happens when we try to intervene,"

Even Pit became silent after those words. Marth stepped forwards with caution, watching the lizard-like creature step back onto the drenched balcony with Ai.

"I can't believe you," he growled, his fists shaking. "You have no right to decide this!"

"You don't understand," the bird retorted. "It knows what we're thinking. If we try to save her, she dies. If we leave her, she dies. It's a tough situation, Marth, and as much as I would like to help..."

"You idiot," Marth spat.

His mind bewildered by Falco's change in tone, Marth sidestepped to his right and glared at him with a hatred aggravated by his stubbornness. If he were the rebellious sort of person he would have directed his next sword thrust at the bird with no hesitation. However, the swordsman composed himself and dived onto the superior Smasher, falling into Ai and knocking her from the creature's grasp. Ai, still shocked by Falco's response, quickly jumped to her feet and rushed out of the door without another word.

At once the animal roared furiously and thundered down the steps with Pit flying just behind. Ai entered the main hall gasping for breath but never paused to look behind her. She welcomed the rain as it poured down her face. Suddenly, before she could flee down the woodland path she felt herself being hoisted into the air, two arms wrapped round her waist.

"Don't worry, Ai!" Pit said, panting. His toes grazed the grey roofs of the fortress, the two of them soaked to the skin. Even as he descended onto the highest turret, he kept a firm grip on her and laid his head upon her shoulder.

"He should never...never have said that," he breathed into her ear. "Even if the chance of survival is small I would do anything to save someone's life..."

Ai coughed feebly and lifted her head to meet two shining sapphire eyes. "It isn't his fault," she said. Their hearts pounded, resembling the drums of the sky. "He didn't mean what he said."

"But his face!" Pit exclaimed. "Did you see his face? I've never seen him look so afraid!"

"No!" Ai cried, shaking her head furiously. Feeling her mixed emotions ascend into her throat and burn her face tore her trench coat from her body and threw it onto the floor. The wind ruffled her white blouse. "No! He wasn't afraid!"

The angel grasped her more tightly upon hearing her strained voice, tears filling his eyes again. "Please don't, Ai. I can't cope with any more sadness from anyone,"

They sank down onto the roof, embracing the refreshing rain and each other's clammy hands. A whirlwind of thoughts bombarded her mind, though they had now settled more since the rain had cooled her. Her only wish was to be back in the ship, back in the cockpit with Falco again, thawed by a loving embrace that she had desired for so long. The silence was broken by another clash of thunder and a bolt of yellow lightning, and they broke away. Pit smiled reassuringly and fluttered his wings to shower her with more cooling raindrops. Then the growling of the sky resumed, deeper and more frequent, even though the rain had now become a light drizzle.

"Ai," Pit whispered, his eyes wide with fear. "What is that?"

"The thunder," Uncertainty crept into Ai's voice. "Isn't it?"

They listened. The thunder drew closer, an engine droning. The angel nervously unsheathed the swords from his golden bow and held them up in an offensive posture. Camouflaged against the sheet of grey rainfall the source of the thunder stealthily clambered onto the roof, its brilliant red eyes fixed upon its prey.

"Ai! Get out of the way!" A beast swooped over their heads, kicking Ai from the turret. Just before she fell onto a stone wall several feet below, she was dragged upwards into the air and high above the white stronghold. This time she knew it couldn't be Pit; her arms were clamped to her sides and the creature's expression bore no mercy.

The voice belonged to Metaknight who had somehow disposed of his chaser earlier. In a flash of violet he leapt from the turret, Galaxia slicing through the screen of rain.

Marth climbed onto the balcony fence on the highest level and pulled himself onto a stone statue perched on the roof. His eyes desperately searched the ground for Roy despite knowing he was asking for an early death if he continued.

Metaknight followed the frightened cries for help as he soared through the air, pinpointing the wavering movements of the animal's awkward turn to the left. Ai's red coat would have made the job a lot easier, but he relished the fact that, unlike a normal bat, his eyesight didn't hinder him. On the other hand, his eyes were drawn to the blue figure on the opposite side of the turret to Marth.

"Metaknight!" Falco called, pulling his jacket tighter around him as the wind ruthlessly battered the fortress. "Catch the superior Smasher's attention and guide it to the roof. I may be able to save her,"

"'May' is not acceptable!" Metaknight snapped. "You either can or you can't!"

"I can." the bird retorted. He received a glare. "I can! Now do as I say and bring them here!"

The purple-winged swordsman shot him another doubtful look then soared upwards again, catching the increasing current. The rhythmic beating of silken white wings approached him long before a brunet youth in a white tunic seared past him. Metaknight could only sigh in pity for the angel's carelessness, but at that point he realised if he timed his asking right, Pit could actually be more of a help than a nuisance for once.

"Pit!" he called in a booming voice. The angel slowed his wing beats and swerved round.

"Oh, Metaknight! I'm so glad you're here!" he panted. Wearily he sheathed his swords and tucked them back into his belt. "What should we do? Oh, this is all my fault! I should never have let her go!"

"What are you talking about?" demanded Metaknight. Tightly he grabbed Pit's sweaty palm and continued flying. "Come, we shall talk and fly otherwise there will be no chance of saving her!"

Pit gulped and nodded, his face burning red. Hastily he explained how he had grabbed Ai before the superior Smasher captured her again, only to be snatched once he had let his guard down.

"Stop blaming yourself," Metaknight sighed. "Listen, I need you to fly in front of the superior Smasher. I'll go in front of you, but what I need you to do is follow me towards the castle, OK?"

A waterfall cascaded over Metaknight's visor, dripping down and disappearing into a churning grey abyss beneath them. Pit was given no chance to reply, for as soon as he had inclined his head he was pushed forward by a gust of wind and into the path of the rampaging superior Smasher, spinning head over heels. He balanced himself and turned so he was facing the creature. It was awkward to fly backwards, especially when the wind was against him, and just as he was about to dive out of the way, the wind cruelly thrust him against the face of the beast.

"Pit?" a girl's voice called out. Ai's hair was a chaotic tangled mess hiding her brown eyes. The mechanical beast roared in fury, its eyes flashing, its metal-spiked tail thrashing the air. Pit was too afraid to say anything.

He pulled his knees into his chest a and carefully sidled onto the beast's cold back. Then, as if steadying himself on a surfboard, he rose, very slowly, pressing his hands over superior Smasher's eyes. The Smasher's roar could have shattered the sky, broken fragile clouds. Pit courageously jumped up and plummeted to the ground, returning sight to the malicious beast.

He caught up with Metaknight who waved him away agitatedly. "You're too close!" he said impatiently. "Move back a little,"

Obediently Pit did as he was told. He descended a little further so he was only a few feet from the ground, leaving Metaknight high above him. Lightning claws scratched the sky, and for a moment Metaknight became totally black like a shadow. Breathlessly Pit looked over his shoulder and gasped. The superior Smasher was close enough to gnaw at his feet.

"Now, Pit!" Metaknight slowed and dropped vertically. Pit ascended to meet him and never stopped flying upwards.

"Keep following me," he instructed. "Lead the superior Smasher to the highest turret. It's up to you now,"

"A-alright!" Pit replied anxiously. His comrade lowered his head curtly then threw his cape over his face and vanished.

The superior Smasher snapped at Pit's ankles as he slowed down. Beyond the trees he recognised the figures of Marth and Falco atop Tsuruga. A sword cut at the sky in an arc, beckoning him forward. The angel tore the skies like an arrow, desperate to reach them, always conscious of the distance between him and the terror behind him.

"Just a little further!" Marth yelled.

He was so close now, close enough to see the tiny lettering on the signs below him, the expressions on his friends faces. And then he shot past them, too scared to slow down, feeling a rush of air, shouting, heavy thuds, catching a flash of blue. He spun round, inhaling deeply, clutching his chest as the superior Smasher plunged down into the trees clawing the air, roaring wildly. Ai, Marth and Falco descended with it. They grasped onto its bulky steel frame as its body collided with the stone floor and smash its head against it with a sickening crack.

"Ai!" Pit couldn't help gasping in relief as Ai gradually pulled herself out from under the weight of the Smasher. Her legs, numbed by the unimaginable heaviness of something twice her height, were trapped underneath the unconscious creature. She clutched the grass beneath her as the pain sank into her whole body, biting its teeth into her bones.

Marth had survived the fall and lay uncomfortably on a branch in a pine tree. "Is she...?" he wheezed. "Is she alright?"

There was a muffled shout; then again it could have been a mumble. They couldn't tell. Only Pit could see what had happened. Pit rapidly flew down to the ground, grabbing Marth and placing him down on the floor.

"Can you see him?" he asked fretfully. He saw two blue hands thumping the ground beside him.

"...Who?"

"Marth! Ai and Falco are trapped under there!"

Pit frantically commanded Marth to release Falco while he helped Ai. After much pulling and shoving of the colossal beast, Ai kicked against its back and crawled onto her knees, her once white blouse now stained green. Before she could say anything her comrade embraced her again and laughed in delight as if it had all been a dream.

"Oh, Ai!" he exclaimed, his wings fluttering excitedly. His laugh wavered like the shrill cry of a songbird. "You're alright, aren't you? Are you hurt?"

Ai could barely speak from shock, but even without a verbal reply a simple nod and smile silenced his worries.

"And you, Falco? Oh yes, I'm fine except I MIGHT HAVE BROKEN MY LEGS!"

The trio stared the bad-tempered bird. Dragging his trapped jacket sleeve from under the Smasher's head, he lost his footing on the wet grass and slipped onto the floor; the jacket was still stuck. Only Ai was fooled by his melodramatic performance and, with a serious look of concern, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Pit, grab his other arm," she said.

"At least _someone_ cares," Falco sighed with a smile. "After what I've been through to look after you,"

"Look after!" Ai replied, astonished. "I know how to look after myself!"

"Then you wouldn't have gotten kidnapped,"

"B-but that's different!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes!"

"Come on guys," said Marth, stepping between them. "All that matters is that we have Ai back, right?"

The four companions walked through the wooded paths leading away from Tsuruga. Everything glistened from the shower; raindrops lazily dived from arched leaves and into bottomless glass puddles. Ai knew Falco was right, she couldn't take care of herself. Just like the rain comes, you must make the most of the time and hold onto it for as long as possible before it leaves again. One day there would be a time which she, too, would have to return to Japan for good and leave the Smashers. Although she was treated as one -especially by Falco and Pit- she knew wasn't and would never be a Smasher.

"I wonder where Metaknight and Snake are," Pit yawned. "I haven't seen them for a long time."

The grand blossom-lined streets suddenly seemed a lot darker, a lot more sinister. Even the pale pink petals seemed to hesitantly brush the ground as if they would cause an earthquake if they accidentally fell too heavily. Only the whisper of the wind which crept through the branches accompanied the Smashers and Ai as they walked. Distant voices of the ghost town floated on the tables of empty cafés; the melodic laughter of children, the chatter among tourists, wandering, searching for their physical forms.

Soon the Great Fox rose into view, still parked on the grass. Perched on the wing of the ship was a small purple shape with two feet dangling over the edge, a jagged sword in its hand.

"I was wondering when you would arrive," Metaknight sighed, watching them from beneath his silver visor. "Snake has some important news,"

"Since when did Snake have anything interesting to announce?" Falco replied sarcastically.

"He has detected Wolf on the intercom," the warrior continued.

"So?"

Marth nudged him, knocking him off balance. However, even as he stumbled onto his knees and mumbled under his breath, the name Wolf erased all other thoughts present at the time. "So, er... Why?"

"You should go and speak to him," said Metaknight as a matter-of-factly. Dismissing them with a swift wave of his cape, he disappeared again, brushing the last of the rainfall from his cape.

The soaked comrades willingly gathered in the Great Fox, relieved to be inside again. As Metaknight said, Snake was lounging on a chair in the cockpit talking through the intercom. It was unusual to hear that he was speaking with serious concern as he nodded his head almost sympathetically, resting his chin on his hands. Falco pushed past the group and rushed inside.

"Oh, hi," Snake said with a yawn. He tilted his head towards him and smiled. "He's here now. Do you want to speak to him?"

The intercom screen crackled like an old film, fading, reappearing and losing its colour. After a few seconds a wolf's head materialised on the intercom screen looking as though it had also been captured by the rain. As Snake casually went into the main room, Falco couldn't help but laugh as he saw Wolf. He sat down on the chair and stared at the two miserable grey eyes gazing back at him.

"Don't you dare!" Wolf snapped crossly. "You don't even know what's happened!"

"It's a bit obvious," Falco replied, stifling his laughter. "You got caught in the storm and lost everyone. Am I right or am I right?"

"No!" Wolf yelled. "I've been thrown out of my ship! My own ship! Mutiny spread faster than the plague!"

"Mutiny?" The slow drip of sarcasm ceased. "How?" the bird demanded.

"I... Well... Look, I can't really explain right now. Does Ai know any lakes in Niigata?"

"I don't know, _does_ you know any lakes in Niigata?" Falco laughed, releasing the uncontrollable sarcasm building up in his voice. Wolf, however, was not amused by his pun.

"Not me. Ai." Wolf growled, flattening his ears. "I was thrown from my ship and into a lake. Do you think she will know about the lakes in Niigata prefecture?"

Falco held his breath and turned round on his chair to see Ai chatting with Pit. He raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Well?"

"I've just thought of something..." Falco announced out loud. "How are you able to communicate if you've been thrown off the Wolfen?"

"Hacked into a telephone box," Wolf said proudly. "It has a screen and everything. Now come on, would she know? I'm freezing out here and my feet are numb..."

"Aw... Oh right, er, hold on a minute. Ai!"

Five heads whipped round simultaneously and looked into the dimly lit cockpit. Sustaining a smile upon her lips she skipped in the room and sat down on a seat next to Falco. "Yes?"

"Niigata," Wolf repeated impatiently. "Tell this idiot if you know anything, _anything_ at all about lakes in Niigata."

Ai tapped her finger on her bottom lip in thought. "Let me think..."

"I don't have time," Wolf retorted, though his tone with less stern. "Do you know anything? I mean, its pretty big, has a few ducks... Basically just a typical lake. Nothing special, I guess..."

"Did you fall in?"

"What do you think?!"

Ai guiltily moved closer to the intercom screen and looked. Indeed the lupine was dripping and dishevelled, just like his emotions. And his voice, though it was impossible to tell whether or not it was for sympathy, was as low as a sad cello.

"You poor thing..." Ai murmured softly. Wolf slapped his forehead.

"So do you know anything or not?!"

"Oh, yes," Ai replied. "I think there's a lake called Lake Hyo. That's the only one I know."

"OK, that's perfect. That's all I needed to know. Will you be able to meet me there?"

"No problem!"

"Er, do I get a say in this?" Falco chimed in. "Fine, we'll meet you there. I'll try and contact your mutinous crew and talk some sense into them. Until then, and I hate to admit it, it looks like you'll have to stay with us."

Ai beamed at the statement. "Falco, I'll tell you where it is, OK?"

"Who needs a map when you have Ai Hoshino?" Falco sighed with a smile. "OK, Wolf, we'll find you and then we'll discuss what's been happening. There's bad news I'm afraid."

"Alright, just hurry up!" Wolf snapped. "Yeah, thanks Ai,"

Ai bowed respectfully just as the intercom turned black.

They had just begun to notice how dark it was outside now. It was almost as black as space and just as empty, silent and unwelcoming. The Smashers had settled in the main room, wrapped up like parcels in the thickest blankets they could find. Shoes were lined up along the wall along with wet clothing though there was no heating device which they could use to dry them quicker. Marth lay awake, listening to everything, struggling to keep sleep at bay. Silently he shed invisible tears for Roy, now commanded by Yoshiki, forever controlled to destroy all those against him. Somewhere, he thought, he would be out there with the other two superior Smashers. As sleep finally overwhelmed him, he promised himself he would find him. _I said I would care for you through your transformation... But I never said I would stop caring for you after that..._

* * *

"Another beer?"

"Yeah, sure!"

"How 'bout you Dedede? You 'aven't even touched the sake, what's the matter with you?"

"He'll show you all who can stomach the most alcohol!"

"I've had ten cans already, guys!"

"OK, Wario, shall we all give you a round of applause? No, 'cause _I_, the great Captain Falcon 'ave managed to drink twice that amount."

"Whoah, now that's what I call an alcoholic!"

Dedede refused to listen to the incessant racket of drunk Smashers behind him. He had now idea where it had come from or who had smuggled it into the ship, but the smell of alcohol was so intense that his eyes were watering. Mario, Yoshi, Pikachu, Pichu, Mewtwo, Jigglypuff and Diddy cowered underneath Dedede's chair, hoping that they would soon collapse from exhaustion and everything would be normal again. Of course, it could never be normal.

"Could you please be a bit quieter, guys?" Dedede called anxiously. No one really took much notice.

"Wow, I can see a big shining circle on the ground!" gasped Bowser, grabbing another can of Japanese sake.

"That's the stadium!" said Ganondorf, who was a little less drunk. "Dedede, drive us there!"

"I don't think that's a-"

"NOW!"

Dedede jumped and threw his hands on the control panel. Without Wolf directing him everything was a blur that made no sense. Ganondorf stomped into the room and pressed his face onto the glass.

"I can see a star... Twinkle twinkle..."

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no... Oh Wolf, I can't do this on my own!" Dedede cried. "What would you say? I've completely ruined this mission... N-no. I won't let that happen. I will find the next microchip for you."

"Chips?" Wario repeated, patting his fat belly. "Microchips?"

This time Dedede found the strength to ignore the comment. Briefly ducking under the chair to check on his frightened comrades, he smiled reassuringly and steered the giant Wolfen towards the ground.

"Please help me find Luigi!" Mario pleaded, tugging at Dedede's cape.

"We will," Dedede replied. "First we will land and we'll discuss everything after we've had a rest. Well, I hope we _do_ get some sleep with that racket going on."

* * *

**And so in this chapter we say goodbye to Roy... Will we ever see him again? As Falco's team prepares to leave Fukushima to find Wolf in Niigata, Dedede's team stumble across two possible locations for a microchip: a stadium and a castle. And Fumiko returns in the next chapter, but does not join any teams. Any guesses why? It will all be answered in the next chapter which will hopefully not take long this time!**

**Press the little purple button please!**


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